The Tournament
by Bexsta
Summary: Post eclipse failure; the stress begins to build. After a few days training with Zuko, Toph, and Katara, Aang feels the fatigue. When Sokka suggests a new way to keep everyone busy, it might prove to be much more than a distraction. - Hiatus -
1. An Idea

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

**The Tournament**

Chapter 1: An Idea

_By : Bexsta_

* * *

The afternoon sun shone through the placid scattering of clouds, creating a landscape of natural clarity. The Western Air Temple seemed to absorb the sun's energy. The strange and rather elegant buildings putting their aged appearance on display. Every crack and chipped stone was evident. Nothing hidden. Nothing kept. The echoes of laughter and chatter bounced off the naturally high walls of earth. The small lake distanced away from the cliff, reflected the faraway sky, on the smooth calm water. A lesser surrounding forest welcomed it's animal habitants, unaware of the children that strolled it's floors.

The day was crisp, clear, and encouraging.

A refreshing counterpart, considering what was or wasn't happening outside the curling fringe of the forest.

Contact with the outside world, apart from the views from the air, was minimal. There were no messengers, no stalkers, no assassins, no visiting familiar faces. At least, not from what they could tell. It would have been close to impossible for anyone to sneak past the children's attention. Every night and day, someone would be watching and keeping guard. Always listening. Always waiting.

They kept reassuring each other that no one would be able to get past their watch, but there was still the threat. Tension that still managed to stress even the most composed of the group. A warning nudging at the temple's perimeter. An eerie caution grazing their conscience.

_What was happening? What were **they** planning?_

Leaving wasn't a wise option, considering how frustrated and mad the burning Nation must be. The eclipse fight was exhausting and appeared to be a failure. An excellent plan, with worthy information gained, and a taste of what they were up against. But a failure nonetheless. However, not a regretful one.

Some of the kids secretly thought about packing up and going often. Facing everything once and for all. All alone. By themselves. The choice was a stupid one, so they didn't linger on the possibility long.

They were confined to the past Air Nation grounds. Staying in the one place that held relative safety. They tried to make what time they had useful. Practising their bending, improving their fighting skills. Constantly thinking of other ideas and plans to overthrow the Fire Lord. They'd get together and speak around the fire, before going to bed. The gatherings would sometimes continue late into the night, each plan looking not much better than the last. The debate's participants often lashed out at the ground in frustration. It was a frantic irritation. And time wasn't negotiable. The future comet arrival was closing in on them. The unspoken deadline, stressing the young fighters every moment.

But each were determined, and persistent. Sometimes laughing darkly at their own personal visions of the battle ahead, and the certain win in their favour. At times, someone would be scared, but his or her pride would quickly diminish the feeling. It was as if it wasn't even a questionable matter anymore. All they knew was that they were going to end this war. Another situation where that didn't happen, didn't exist to them.

Surprisingly, even with everything that was taking place around them, the girls and boys still found room for fun and enjoyed the little time they had to savour. At times they would try to act through their imagination. They pictured a setting with no danger, just a meeting of friends. Well, _most_ of them would be friends.

Still, the doom of reality always taunted their consciousness, so the playful minutes would be followed by strict hours.

As the sun kept shining, brightening the moods of the benders and friends, the gentle breeze brushed the tips of plants and the water's surface. It was a great day.

Like all the great days the spirits would bless them, the children embraced the natural boost, and had fun.

_In a slender clearing near the forest, a blind earth bender shared her rock throwing technique with an impressed looking older Earth Nation boy. A few feet away, in the trees, a small boy shouted happily swinging from branch to branch. Below him, a boy rolled his wheeled chair, his eyes twinkling with amusement. A little further off, a young water tribe warrior paced the edge of a lake, plotting his revenge on a tricky little lemur. His sister watched him from the middle of the lake, where she stood waist-deep in water, smiling to herself, as she manipulated the flowing element. She was unaware of the curious prince, who glanced her way cautiously, before quickly striding away._

Even if _fun_ had lost it's some of it's meaning to the weary travellers, they did what they could.

_At the edge of the cliff, facing away from his nation's temple, and his companions, sat a thoughtful boy, who stared defiantly at the distant horizon._

It was a great day.

Little did they know that the beginning of this day would trigger the start of a new kind of adventure.

* * *

"That's much better! You got it!"

"Wha-really?"

"Of course you need to work on your stance, watch your footing, watch where your aim, and control your chi flow a little better, but overall it was a pretty darn good shot." commented the blind bender.

"Oh," her student slumped.

She smirked at his obvious shock. _What? Did he think he was perfect already?_ She thought, snickering at his apparent confidence. _You're gonna have to earn that..._

"Your feet need to be more squared off, and firmer. Like this," she stated, as she assumed the correct position.

"Right."

Haru mimicked her movements. Toph examined his stance with a critical vibration-prone-_eye_, before approaching him.

"You're too narrow," she stood beside him now, and nudged his left foot with her own. "Wider, and face your toes forward."

"How about now?" He asked, after he had followed her instructions.

"Should be fine," Toph stepped a few yards away. "Now go through the whole thing,"

She heard the older boy take a deep breath before he raised his arms. With the movement, came with it a generous sized boulder from the ground of the small clearing. She listened intently for his advancements. As always; much dependant on her heightened senses to be her uncharacteristic guide. Toph felt him slowly shift though the stance, raising the moulded earth in the air. His actions were steady, but his breathing was off. She sighed quietly when she noticed.

It wasn't entirely unexpected for him to be breathing heavily. They had been training for a while now, and her student was bound to feel some fatigue. However, with every element, the bender has to have some level of control over their breathing to properly deal with the attacks and defences.

_I guess he needs lessons in how to breath too,_ she surmised.

He punched his hands forward, propelling the rock through the air, heading towards the earth wall Toph had created earlier. It hit the wall with a loud crumpling smack. The boulder broke into pieces at the foot of the obstruction. Although she may be blind, her senses painted a realistically clear picture of what happened in front of her. Her feet still felt the vibration of the shattered earth. The rock hit directly where Toph wanted it to. And she was pleased. She'd started tutoring Haru a few days ago. Just for something to do. He was a bit unsteady when she first duelled him, but he's improved a lot.

"Nice," she allowed, and went to where he was standing.

"Really?" She sensed him lift his hand.

_Most likely to wipe the sweat from his brow, _she thought. _How fitting._

"No."

"What?" She heard the sudden deceleration of his heart beat and smirked.

"I was joking!" She slapped him on the back. She was glad to see that he didn't stumble forward. Unlike a certain air bender or a certain water bender or a certain water tribe buy. The comparison made her grin.

_Steadiness is a trait of the Earth Nation_, she recalled. _But, in this case, a sense of humour isn't._

"Don't tell me you can't take a joke," Toph accused. Levelling her arms, then pushing them down, she forced the custom wall back into the loose earth of the clearing.

"Uh, I, um, am really serious about my, uh, bending," Haru replied, confused.

"So am I, but you don't see me acting like such a stiff board."

"I'm sorry..?"

"What are you sorry about now? Why are you even sorry?" She demanded. Toph made her made through the trees, leaving the flat plain, and heading towards the lake. She smoothly avoided the branches and tree trunks that crossed her path. Always acutely aware of the natural obstacles.

"For offending you?" Haru answered from behind her.

"What are you talking about?"

"I offended you back there, didn't I?"

She paused before saying; "Please don't tell me that you're one of those serious-I-never-smile-don't-be-ridiculous guys. 'Cause if you are, I'm not training you." She stated matter of factly.

She felt Haru stumble over a branch as he followed her.

"I don't-"

"I'm just gonna warn yah; that position is already taken by _Princey-kins_. And I'm sure you can see that not many people like him because of it. _Especially_ Momo."

"I never-"

"I could really care less about what the guy does, but I'm not training a mopey little wanna-be, okay? I already have to deal with Sokka's lame attempts at entertaining us, while we sit around here," She waved a hand blindly in the air, indicating the forest and the Air temple that claimed it. "I don't really feel like spending my time with-"

"I-I don't want to be like him! I just want to learn as much earth bending as possible! Where'd you even get the idea that I-oh, nevermind!" Haru shouted, very offended and mildly shocked. "Anyway, I don't even know him," he grumbled.

"Fine by me, just loosen up a bit okay?" Toph stepped over the last bit of forest floor, feeling a granular texture under her feet. "I don't think I'll have to resort to the club-over-the-head-method, if you just relax a bit. Wait. On second thou-"

"Okay! I'll try," Haru agreed hastily. Toph laughed at how puzzled he sounded. Did he not know how to have fun? Or take a joke? _Pathetic._

_Everyone's getting too tense and serious around here._ She groaned internally. _It's slowly killing me._

Toph needed a bit of excitement. And she usually tried to skip through the moments of boredom with the expense of the others embarrassment. Herself acting as the instigator, of course. And everyone was a participant, or for the use of better word; victim, in her random pranks. The usual contender was Sokka. The best part being he wasn't shy of revenge. Although he usually failed with his attempts at a comeback. Which only added to the blind girl's amusement. But since he wasn't around, _yet_, she could settle for her somewhat, she decided right then; dull student.

And with this specific guy, she had a lot of useful...observations to play with. Or for the use of a better term; _ammo to fire_.

"And besides," she mused, as she sat down near the edge of the lake, "She gets all red in the face because she absolutely loathes him. Not because she's flustered or something. I think I should know. I was witness to the death glares she shot him as soon as he came. I admit I couldn't really _see_ her face, but I knew she was glaring. You could feel it. Hard to explain. But, man, you missed some good stuff!" She folded her arms behind her head, and laid down on the ground, smiling. The sunlight warmed her amused face. Her dark bangs resting against her forehead. She was sure that if she was able to see, she'd be blinded by the brightness of the sun.

"Huh?"

"She hates him. So, if you want her to notice you, just be yourself. No I'm-serious-all-the-time stuff. She'll come around."

"Huh? Who? What are you talking about?"

Toph imagined his furrowed brow, and grinned in his general direction, feigning innocence.

"Why, Katara of course. You do like her don't you?"

"What!?"

* * *

Katara stood near the middle of the lake. Murky water flowing lazily around her bare waist. The thick wavy locks of her damp dark hair sticking to her back. The water was sparkling and calm, only ripping slightly when the gentle breeze brushed the surface, or when Katara moved. Small birds often flew overhead, making tiny chirps along the way. The sounds adding more lax to her peaceful state. Every so often she'd hear a deep rumbling, which she connected to Toph and Haru's earth bending. And although those noises were course and shocking a times, they were surprisingly soothing. They gave the waterbender a sense of amusing familiarity. Calming her.

Overall, it was very peaceful place. And that's what Katara wanted. Peace and quiet. Well, peace and semi-quiet, if you included the happy shouts from the forest.

_Mostly likely Momo teasing Sokka and The Duke with the black stone berries I gave him this morning._ She had resolved happily._ They sure do make a mess...and really sting when they explode on impact_.

If you put the unintentional interruptions aside, it was a perfect getaway. The cool water wasn't just soothing against her tanned skin. It eased her distressed thoughts as well.

She made a large flowing water whip that circled around her arm, head, and waist, over and over again. The bender dimly focused on her actions, the water's siren call only barely registering in her mind, so she could let her thoughts wander.

The chance to water bend was refreshing and acted as a temporary distraction. A distraction to everything that was happening around her. Her friends were always near, and that eased her stress, but to a point. Their presence, as reassuring as it was, as reassuring as best friends can be, didn't alter the constant tension that aggravated her mind and body. She thought it was only natural to feel this way. Inevitably, there was a huge battle ahead. The pressure of winning is tiring everyone. But it seemed anxiety's biggest victim, was Katara.

Everyone else acted aloof and indifferent to the whole thing. Which caused her to worry more. Wouldn't anyone take this seriously? She expected her brother to be his normal sarcastic self. But Aang? Even he was being his playful self. He should at least concentrate and take _some_ interest in the matter. But she knew it was unfair to think that way. The avatar had always been happy, but he would still take vital situations seriously. Maybe she was being too paranoid. Did she expect him to be gloomy and silent? No. That would be worse. Still. She was worried about Aang. Then, again when was she not worried about Aang? Their adventure hasn't been the most pleasant, and she would remember the times when she felt frantic and over protective of the avatar. Whenever he was vulnerable, it brought out the worst in her. Or, at least, she thought it was the worst. Her brother had a different perspective.

But now, after the failure of the eclipse battle, the stress seemed to weigh her down. The loss made everything appear more real, and more threatening. Katara knew what she was getting into the moment she first decided to stay with Aang. But now reality came crashing down, smacking her right in the face, looking all the more intimidating.

She constantly urged herself not to have any doubts. _We'll make a solid plan this time and win!_ She told herself. _We will!_ _We will! It will work. No doubts, Katara! Trust your friends. We'll win! We have much more people on our side now. We know what we're up against. We'll win! We will! We have too._ The personal chant was her own motivation as well as a habit. A habit introduced when she felt the silent threat of doubts. Doubts about their mission, their potentially questionable success, even their safety.

The sleek water whip left it's normal circular path surrounding her body, and began to move sharply in front of her. Moving back and forth in a fast straight line. Mimicking the repetition and sharpness of her internal chant.

_We will!_ _We'll win!_

She was vaguely aware that two green-clad figures were now sitting at the edge of the lake. Watching her or not, she didn't know. Her subconscious focus was on her bending, while her mind still roamed lingering thoughts.

For any plan to work, she understood that Aang needed to somewhat master all the elements before the comet arrives, and that just fed her troubles. He was a master of air bending, since Air was his relative nation. That's one. The lessons she would teach him were getting more and more complex. He was excellent at bending water, and was a great challenge for her. So, water bending wasn't really an issue anymore. That's another. From the conversations she had with Toph, and the glimpses she caught of his duels with the earth bender, he was improving greatly, but needed more time with technique. No problem really. With more practice he'll be ready.

Fire. This was what most troubled her.

Aang's supposed fire bending teacher, just happened to be the same guy who had been chasing them all over the world. He kidnapped, he fought against them, he lied, he deceived-! And if that didn't suffice, he also sufficiently betrayed her! Who would blame her for not trusting him?

"Katara!"

She tried not to be judgmental towards anyone, but this guy just makes it so damn hard. Katara admits she can be prejudice towards the Fire Nation. But, honestly, how could she not? They were the one enemy everyone else in the world - well, mostly everyone - had in common. They killed her mother. They were the reason her father had to leave. The Fire Nation quite literally ruined her life.

And this guy supplied plenty of more reasons to hate the Fire Nation.

She didn't notice that the water whip had began to turn into ice in front of her. The water cracked, and frosted into an irregular solid twist minutely, and stayed eerily still in the air.

How was she to know that Zuko wasn't still trying to betray them? That this whole thing was a joke to him? That he was secretly planning to trap them? That this Prince was honourable enough to admit his own wrong and generally help?

"Katara?"

_Prince,_ she scoffed internally. _Does he even deserve the title?_ If she were to imagine a prince, it would be someone who is charming and loyal. An eager young man who would command an air fair authority. Someone fairly considerate. Always learning and willing. She wouldn't go so far to say giving. But would it be too perfect to consider such a trait?

That was her version of a prince.

And in no way whatsoever was _Prince Zuko_ even qualified to take on such a demanding role. He probably couldn't even handle being considerate. Too much good needed to be considerate.

_Does he even know what the word _considerate_ means?_

Assuming he does, he certainly can't act upon it. The concept would be too different from his usual, well, evil.

"Katara?"

The former water whip was now a levitating piece of twisted ice. Sunlight penetrating it's surface, making the element shine with transparency. It probably would have looked like a deadly glass spear, if it wasn't melting from the late spring heat.

_Stupid excuse for a..._

"Katara?!"

"What?!" She snapped. Abruptly coming back to the present, she jerked her head up, to glare at the border of the lake, not really seeing the three people crowded on the sand.

The irritating thoughts must have still been fresh in her head, because the ice cracked under her agitation, before suddenly flying in the direction of the shouter.

And her sub consciousness had pretty good aim.

"What the-?!" Sokka yelped. He ducked just in time before the ice spear shattered against a tree behind him.

A short shocked silence followed, before Toph suddenly burst out laughing.

"Nice shot, Katara!" The amused earth bender hooted.

Katara blinked, frozen in place.

"Is it safe?" Sokka squeaked. He was still crouched on the ground, his arms covering his head. His vulnerable position just sent Toph over the edge. Her humorous laughter echoing of the lake's acoustics.

It took half a second for Katara's actions to catch up to her. For Toph's voice to reach her. Then she found herself waddling through water towards her brother._ Did I just do that?_

"Sokka! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" She exhaled sharply.

"That was awesome!" Toph cheered, rolling on the sandy coast, still laughing. "Oh man, Sokka, I wish I could've _seen_ your fa-!"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. He stood up, wiping the dirt from his clothes.

"And his little squeal! Did you hear him Haru? He sounded even more girlie than Katara!"

"No, I didn't!"

"I really didn't mean to, Sokka. I don't know what came over me. I was thinking about things, and I..." Katara explained, as she stumbled out of the lake, soaking wet, ignoring Toph comments. _And what? _Her cynical side questioned_. What could possibly make you do that?_ She was at a lost for words.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a dismissive flick of his hand.

"-and I felt him crouching like a pathetic little-" Toph relayed to Haru who was sitting beside her on the ground. Katara glanced at Sokka. He was also looking at Toph, his eyes narrowed slightly.

_Why did I do that?_ The water bender asked herself. She subconsciously bent the water out of her soaked garments. _I could have seriously hurt Sokka._ She was horrified at the thought of injuring her brother or her friends. She threw the water she had bent from her clothes to the lake's edge, not really caring how the sandy coast absorbed it all.

_I better learn to gain more control._ _I can't let my emotions be so...demanding all the time._

"I'm so sorry." She apologized again. Still at a lost for what to say.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just get Toph to get your attention from now on," He stated. Purposely loud enough for the girl to hear. Who was still laughing with joy. "So I won't be the only greeted with such _warmth. _Everybody knows I like to share."

"That's fine with me, Snoozles," Toph said without hesitation. Katara could see the effort it took the small girl to regain composure. A smile playing around her pale lips. "I don't get enough excitement around here as it is." She paused, and then smiled somewhat thoughtfully. "I might even learn a few things from Katara. You never know,"

Haru laughed, while Sokka crossed him arms over his chest, and scowled at the Earth Nation kids. Katara smiled at her brother, knowing he wasn't _truly_ mad.

* * *

"Is it a mouse frog?"

"No."

"A turtle duck?"

"No."

"Baby kangaroo rabbit?"

"No."

"Bee Canary?"

"Nope."

"Uh, is it a prairie mole?"

"No."

"Come on! We need more clues!" whined The Duke.

"Yeah, Toph, there's so many possibilities. We'll never be able to get it." agreed Haru.

"That's too bad." Toph said, while chewing a piece straw.

"That's not fair! I gave you guys plenty of clues!" accused The Duke. He seemed to be taking this guessing game pretty seriously. Sokka earned a confirmation when noticed the way he stomped his foot on the ground every so often. He was frustrated by Toph's aloof way of participating.

"Yeah, but yours was hard to guess," Teo verified.

"No it wasn't!" The Duke opposed.

"Uh, yeah it was."

"How is 'the king's bear having tea in the kingdom ball room' hard to guess?"

"Well, considering the _thing_ itself, we're suppose to guess, is _suppose_ to be a _thing_, as in _singular_. Like-"

"No, no, no, it doesn't matter! It makes the game more interesting. You guys are suppose to be more...perceptive."

"It's hard enough that we have to guess one thing that we have no idea about," started Haru "But you want us to decipher a whole sentence?"

"Well, yeah," The Duke muttered. Sokka smiled at the faint blush on the boy's cheeks.

"Nevermind," Teo sighed.

"You guys done now?" Toph asked. She was on her stomach, leaning on her elbows. Beside her, Katara sat on the temple's hard floor, watching the group with an amused grin. Something she shared with her sibling.

"Just one more clue!" The Duke begged, clasping his hands together.

"Hm, what have I told you guys so far?"

"It was something you saw near the lake today," The Duke answered.

"It was small," said Haru.

"And pathetic." added Teo.

"Also it was an interesting creature," noted Katara. Who, Sokka guessed by the giggle she shared with Toph, knew what the _thing_ was. The fact that she was giggling at all, alerted him that something was up.

"Okay..." The Duke murmured, deep in thought.

Sokka leaned against a tall stone column beside the group. He was eating some nuts that The Duke and him had brought back from their forest walk. At times he would throw random pebbles at the small bonfire, just for something to do. Even when the game they were playing was _so_ exciting.

The small group consisting of his friends and his sister, excluding Aang and Zuko, were seated around the fire, constantly bickering. It was near dusk, the sun lazily setting, dipping reluctantly over the horizon. The guessing game they were playing now had started quite a while ago. It was their successful attempt at passing the time, as they waited for Zuko and Aang to return from their training.

Sokka was slightly, although he'd never admit it, amused by Toph's indifference attitude as she played along. He had a hunch that she knew that by acting this way, it only frustrated The Duke further. The boy was certainly animated.

"Man, that guy is taking this thing way too seriously." Teo commented.

The Duke was too deep in thought to even hear Teo's comment, which made Sokka laugh.

"I know," Sokka assented, quite amused.

"Oh, I don't know Sokka, at least he makes an attempt a getting involved." His sister remarked.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"How long did it take for someone to guess yours?"

"The first try," Toph answered, laughing.

"I think my choice was a good one." He disagreed. _Liar_, he berated himself.

"Are you kidding?" Katara laughed.

"I think Sokka's right, Katara." Toph said deadpanned. A warning to Sokka to brace himself. Insults were sure to follow. However, he kept his ground.

"What?" His sister turned to their friend, smiling.

"Certainly a _rock_ is difficult to guess."

The girls broke into fresh coughs of laughter, while Sokka mumbled "whatever", and popped another nut in his mouth. In truth, he agreed with them. When it was his turn to play the game, he had been so bored that he didn't even know what he was doing. A _rock_ was the only thing his distracted brain could come up with. Pathetic; he knew. So he agreed with them. But his sensitive ego wouldn't admit it aloud.

"I got it!" The Duke yelled.

His loud shout made everyone jump, except for Appa and Momo, who were sleeping near by.

"Okay, let's hear it." Toph demanded confidently, but with a doubtful expression.

"Is it a..." He paused.

_Probably going for the dramatic approach_, Sokka considered. _I do believe that's my area of expertise._

"...bunny pig?"

"Nope." She replied, popping her mouth on the 'p'.

"What?!"

"I said nope." Repeating the popping noise.

"But, the, but-" he sputtered, before suddenly flopping on his back, arms flailing. "Oh, I give up!"

"Don't worry about it _The_ Duke," Katara said, sympathetically. "if it makes you feel any better, I would have never guessed it if Toph hadn't told me. It's even harder than yours."

"I don't think so," said Toph, who was twirling the straw in her mouth, acting all the more casual and relaxed. Another warning sign.

"Well, now that I think about it, it's quite a good description of _it_," His sister smirked.

"Couldn't agree more,"

Sokka was positive that he wasn't the only one who was confused. But, he was probably the only one who felt slightly annoyed. He that feeling. The feeling that told him to brace himself. His sister called his _feeling_; his instincts. And his instincts were usually right. So his notice of the warning signs was bound to be right as well.

"Tell us!" Haru and Teo demanded. Sokka wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"You can't guess? Oh come on. _You_," Toph pointed at Haru. "of all people should know. You were there."

"I was?"

"Yep."

There was a short thoughtful silence, before Haru burst out laughing.

"That's a good one!"

"Tell us!" Teo repeated.

"Yeah, what is it?" Sokka asked. He unable to control his curiosity, even as the _feeling_ grew larger. He was more than annoyed now, however.

"Sokka, it's you! Your the _thing_!" Katara cried happily.

The whole group was laughing, and it took only a moment for Sokka to figure out what his sister just said, and connect it to Toph's clues. _Pathetic? I most certainly am not! A piece of ice was flying at my head! Give me a break. Pathetic? Isn't that a little harsh?_ He asked internally. But not exactly surprised at the fact. Toph didn't exactly hesitate to embarrass him.

Sokka scowled, as he remembered this afternoon's events, including his sister, her temper, and a flying piece of ice.

_Yep. Royally insulted. Warning signs; check. Insult; check. Wounded ego; check. Recovery; come back in a few...hours. Revenge; damn right!_

His friends were too busy enjoying the joke, to notice the two lone figures walking towards the fire.

"Hey!" Sokka called, recognizing the avatar and his new master.

"Hey Sokka!" Aang skipped to his side, smiling at the cheerful group, who were still laughing with gusto. "What's everyone laughing about?"

"A joke," he mumbled.

"Don't be so modest, Sokka!" Toph cried. "We were definitely laughing _at_ you!"

Sokka turned his head away childishly, and saw Zuko standing on his other side. He was standing similar to Aang, but not as close. And not as casually.

"Hi," Sokka greeted the older (and not to mention; taller) teenager hesitantly.

Zuko only nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes glued to the small fire.

Like Sokka mentioned to Aang some time ago, _this was weird. _

Sokka wasn't as mean or judgmental to Zuko, as his sister was. Yes, he did notice the glares she sometimes gave Zuko. The warrior just didn't know what to think of the young prince. Their history wasn't the most comfortable, and anything but friendly. However, he could physically see that Zuko has changed. The guy was more cautious, and seemed to honestly want to gain their trust and comradeship. This, Sokka, could let him earn, but with some reservations.

He decided that Zuko need to prove his worth. Not only to the water tribe teen, but to everyone. Which was a lot to ask for. Since, in this case, the word _'everyone',_ happened to include Katara. That made him simultaneously weary and amused. _Good luck bud..._

This didn't stop Sokka from cracking the odd joke about their new group member. Directly at Zuko, or behind his back, it didn't really matter. The firebender's personality offered a lot to be ridiculed. It'd be a waste if he didn't take advantage of that fact. Something that Toph and himself were all too aware off. And Zuko didn't seem to mind being laughed at time to time. He was probably not used to being made fun of. Being part of a royal family and all. But with joining the Avatar's group, you were expected to suck it up, and let everyone have their fun. It was an unspoken rule. Or perk. Whichever way you decided to look at it. He just needed time to get used to everything and everyone. At least, that's what he told himself. Sometimes he would catch the prince narrowing his eyes, and avoiding their faces, but the tense moments would always pass. So, he didn't think anything of it.

It was at times like these that Sokka wished he could say the perfect thing to get Zuko to speak.

Unfortunately, talking in awkward situations, just wasn't one of his _many_ talents.

"Aang! You're back!" Teo cheered.

"Glad to be back!" Aang announced with equal joy. "What'd I miss?"

"The usual." Toph sighed. "Katara attempting to cook-"

"Hey," Katara frowned. She glanced quickly at the unidentified brown mush that was in the iron pot near their fire. The surface of it seemed to be turning a darker colour, like it was hardening, or quite possibly burnt. Sokka didn't even dare to try that night's concoction.

"-Haru and Teo being nice, and eating whatever she makes. Animals asleep. And Sokka being _oh so smart_."

"And Toph being a-" Sokka started, planning to make a comeback.

"Toph told a really good joke." Haru commented suddenly.

"What was it about?"

"Nevermind, Aang," Katara said stiffly, as she got up. "We have to finish our water trench segment that I showed you yesterday. Remember?"

"Fine," Aang sighed. His shoulders drooping a bit.

"Oh, I never knew this was such a burden for you. You could at least pretend to be a little more enthusiastic." Sokka's sister huffed, as she sat back down. Sokka knew from experience, and sibling familiarity, that Katara wasn't truly mad. Just disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Katara, I'm just kind of..."

"He's tired." Toph observed suddenly.

"From what?" Katara asked, surprised.

"I've been training all day." Aang explained, as he planted himself beside Katara. "First Toph in the morning, and then Zuko all afternoon. We just started-"

"Well, maybe your _fire bending teacher_," Katara spat. Sokka could tell Katara didn't like saying the title, or even referring to their new member. Even as he stood with them. Which, Sokka was aware, seemed to make the referral that much more painful for her. He was certain he felt Zuko stiffen beside him. "should ease up a bit. We need you to practice all the elements, not just one. Balance is key for the Avatar. Isn't that what you said Avatar Roku told you?"

"Katara, I just started learning fire bending. And I need to somehow master it before this comet arrives. Which, I don't think I need to remind you, is soon." Aang replied. "And Avatar Roku tells me a lot of things. Can't really keep track of them all."

Sokka was a little surprised how exhausted Aang sounded.

He knew his friend was training hard, but it didn't seem worth all the work if Aang's energy was sucked out of him.

"Aang maybe you should rest tonight," Sokka suggested. Not liking the way his friend was breathing deeply.

"But, Sokka-" Katara started.

"Katara, look at the poor boy," He pointed. His sister looked down at the avatar, who was now lying on his back, his eyes fluttering, threatening with sleep. Katara's slightly furrowed brow and sympathetic gaze encouraged him to continue. "Aang's really tired and he needs some sleep. He's been bending all day. And I don't need to be a bender myself to know that when you train all day, it takes a lot out of you. He needs to rest. You can train him tomorrow."

"I guess," She still sounded unsure. His sister was always a hard one to persuade.

"Just give me a minute," Aang murmured, his eyes now closed.

"It's okay Aang. Just relax," Sokka said.

"I'll make our sessions shorter," Toph resolved. "Twinkletoes has been doing pretty well anyway."

"That'd be good," Katara commented.

"_Most_ of us should take it easy with Aang,"

"I know, I know, I'll take it easy too." Sokka saw his sister's eyes narrow suspiciously. "What do you mean by 'most'?" She inquired after a pause.

"'Most' as in 'most'. Do I have to explain what _most_ means?"

"Toph," Katara reproached.

"All I'm saying is that Aang needs to focus on some more important things," Toph waved her hand in the air. "and rest." She added.

"Right. I know that."

"So, we'll just be a little more lenient," Sokka heard the meaningful tone Toph gave Katara. But his sister was oblivious.

And so was Sokka.

"Toph, what are you talking about? We know all this." He said.

"I just think Aang should focus on more demanding things right now."

"Like?"

"Firebending." She answered, bluntly.

"We know that." Katara huffed.

Sokka noticed how his sister placed herself so she didn't entirely face Zuko. Subtle unease making her shoulders rise slightly.

He was ever mindful of his sister's firm dislike of Zuko. He's seen enough of her bad moods and sisterly spazzes to know when _he's_ done something wrong. He's also seen enough of her mad decisive bending to know when someone else has done the same.

Sokka likes to refer to her tolerance as boundaries. And he knew that once you crossed a specific boundary, you better duck and cover. Too many past experiences, including him and his sister, and a mistake on his part, taught him that.

His sister was sensitive and always willing. Never judgmental. Most people she met would become her friends and blah, blah, blah, they stayed safely outside the stable boundaries.

Poor Zuko seemed to be born already past the line. And he didn't really deserve Sokka's sympathy.

"Maybe it'd be better if we stopped our practice with Aang, and let him and Zuko get more time to train." Toph suggested.

"What?" Katara yelped, quickly standing up. Aang's once half-sleeping form, jerked upright, now fully awake.

"He needs to learn a lot more than he knows now, Katara." Toph stressed, her glazed eyes staring knowingly passed Katara's shoulder. "How can you expect him to beat the Fire Lord without knowing how to _firebend_? And from our experiences, I'd say that they didn't just make him Fire Lord because of his apparent royalty. He's a master. Probably better. Ask him." She pointed at Zuko. "He probably knows more. Wouldn't doubt that I'm right. I usually am. Anyway, Aang needs to know just as much about the guy's element to beat him. As much as I hate to admit it, we can't always depend on other bending to win. Aang's tried that. Remember what you told me about what happened in Ba Sing Se? And that was just his daughter."

As Sokka listened to Toph's reasoning, which he approved of, he noticed Katara's anger wavering, her features slowing easing into realization. But at the mention of Ba Sing Se, and Zuko's crazed sister, her shoulders became rigid, with ocean eyes narrowed.

From what little he's learned of the underground fight at Ba Sing Se, Sokka presumed Katara had every right to be frustrated. He only knew the basics. That Iroh and Aang went to go rescue Katara and Zuko, and everything went fine before Zuko decided he still wanted the avatar. And he brought Azula along to get him. Big fight ensued. Which he regretted he missed. And Aang got hurt. Real bad.

He only knew the basics. And he didn't bother to pursue the subject. It was in the past. Nothing to be overanalysed.

However, Sokka had a feeling there was more to the story.

"Well? Do you remember?" Toph prompted after she didn't answer.

Katara glanced swiftly at Zuko. Her glare directed purposely, and at the same time, unwillingly, at the firebender. Sokka saw Zuko stare blankly back at her. Always the passive facade. No emotion visible. There seemed to be a uncommunicative accusation in his sister's gaze. And something more. Seconds seemed to pass, the tension brewing, before Katara returned her attention back to Toph.

"Yes," she hissed.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aang wince slightly.

"Okay. Then you should see my point." Toph assumed, unperturbed by the mute exchange.

Katara crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"That's what I thought." Toph said smugly.

"Alright. You may have a point." Katara allowed rigidly as she sat down. "And I agree that Aang needs to learn firebending."

"No doubt about it." Toph stated.

"Yes, unfortunately,"Katara kept her head down and stared at the flat stone surface. The swaying of the fire's flames casting dancing shadows along the walls and faces surrounding the burning element. Sokka observed how the fire reacted oddly with everyone's eyes. The natural light heightened the colours in the irises of his friends, making Katara's blues a darker indigo, and Aang's grey eyes dim, so they appeared less youthful. Almost aged. Toph's pale emeralds held a passive glaze. And Zuko's usually brilliant gold eyes, were somehow tense and foreboding.

_Or maybe it isn't the fire at all,_ Sokka thought strangely. He resisted the urge to slap his forehead. _What? Are you superstitious now or something? Come on Sokka, pull it together! Don't go insane now. You have plenty of time to do that later. Jeez! And I always accuse Katara of being paranoid..._

"I think I agree with Toph," Aang sighed.

"Yeah," Sokka joined.

"Fine. So do I. Aang can focus on firebending." Katara admitted. "But," She raised her head to look at everyone. "I don't think he should stop his other bending all together."

"Katara," Aang groaned.

"Just listen to me." She held her hands out pleadingly. "I know you need to learn fire bending. Trust me, I know. I just don't agree with you completely ignoring _our_ bending too."

"Why?"

"Because you need to know _all_ the bending forms. Not just one."

"Katara, I've been practising waterbending longer than I have with any other element. You said so yourself that I'm more than good enough to become a master. Master Pakku even said I _am_ one"

"That's not what I mean. And I know your good enough. Just don't block out all the other stuff we've learned. That includes your sessions with Toph as well."

"Who said I was going to block out anything?"

"Nobody. I-"

"He has a point." Toph interceded. "You and Aang have been together longer then him and I have. Not to mention Zuko and Aang just started. Don't you think he knows enough about water bending by now to get by?"

"It's not about 'getting by'." Katara disputed. "The avatar has to be a master of each element. He has to know what each of us know about each of our nations. Sometimes more than that. He has to know every nation's weaknesses and strengths. The difference between right and wrong in any given situation. Factors that affect his position and advancement with or against each element. Which bending form he should use against a difficult enemy. Anything. Aang has to learn to fit and hold in everything. It'll be hard. And we'll work on that the best we can. But he can't just favour one element and hope that helps."

"I didn't say that." Toph argued.

"You said we should _stop_ our training with Aang. Did you not?"

"Yeah..." Toph grimaced.

"Right. Let's say we do. So when Aang's devoting all his energy to learning a new bending art, he'll forget all the stuff _we_ taught him. Learning a new form takes all of your concentration. _You_ know that. _I_ know that. It's called determination. And, how we are right now; motivation. All of the stuff..._he,_" She waved in Zuko's general direction. Avoiding absolute mention of Aang's fire bending teacher. "teaches him will be fresh and dominant in Aang's mind. And we can't have that. We can't _stop_ our bending with him. It has to be consistent. _Equal._ There needs to be some sort of," She paused, squinting her eyes, as she searched for the right word. " _balance_."

Sokka thought about his sister's reasoning. She was right. Aang did need balance. He needs to learn all the elements. And be equally good at all four. Isn't that what the avatar was about? Keeping balance?

"Aangs also needs to rest. He can't possibly do all that. He'll be exhausted. We can't have him completely burned-out when he faces the Fire Lord." Toph rationed. "No pun intended." She grinned.

"Ha. Ha." Aang faked. His tone and expression containing no humour. Which was rare.

"True," Katara mumbled.

"But I agree with you, Katara. So what're we gonna do?"

Everyone became silent. Even Teo, The Duke, and Haru. Who, until a moment ago, were mumbling about something incoherent.

The hush that came over them was analytical and considerable. The still breath of the moment making the kids thoughtful, and gaining more questions than answers. All of them were staring off in separate directions, thinking and planning. Katara stared at their make shift fire. Aang gazed at the visible expanse of sky. Toph focused her eyes on the ancient ground. Sokka glanced at Zuko to see him looking unseeingly ahead. Sokka mutely contemplated his surroundings. Not really thinking about anything in particular. But all were quietly deciding what to do, and internally rephrasing what they could contribute to the conversation.

They needed a plan. Now more that usual.

None of them realized how the sky had darkened into evening. Dull stars twinkling suggestively. The relaxing songs of small insects introducing their portion to the night's frequent serenade. A seasonal breeze sashaying in-between their forms, manipulating the fire's sway. The cool smell of forest, lake, fire, and the slight distinct scent of night, rolled into one. All of it announcing the end of day, and beginning of night. Another day passed. Reminding them that less time was waiting for them.

Sokka didn't know how long they stayed like this. It only broke when a deep voice spoke hesitantly.

A very unlikely candidate to talk all together.

"Isn't firebending more important at the moment?"

All of them clamped their gazes on Zuko. Who stood still beside Sokka, with his arms crossed over his chest. The firebender's face was blank, revealing no emotion. Anybody could have doubted if Zuko had spoken at all, if it weren't for each of them recognizing his mellow voice.

It was Katara who chose to question him.

"More important?" She spat.

"Considering..."

The water bender's icy glare reflected hard dislike. And something else Sokka couldn't name.

"Considering what?" She demanded coldly. Katara still sat on the ground. Her body dangerously still and tense. Only her blue eyes moved soundlessly on Zuko. Sokka, he decided, didn't like the way his sister was acting. Even if she had reason to.

"You want to beat the _Fire_ Lord." He stated, emphasizing the constituent.

"You mean your _dad_?" She grinned humourlessly. And, Sokka noted, mockingly.

There was a short silence that followed. His sister and Zuko stared at each other. Both unruffled by the other's offensive stature.

Sokka was watchful of his sister's actions, or lack there of, and slowly began to recognize the symptoms of tempted annoyance. He prepared himself to stand between the two, if it should resort to a confrontation. He knew Katara better than this. She wasn't one to be easily manipulated. She was always patient. So why was she always, so, unlike herself when it involved Zuko? Why did she always find something to ridicule Zuko with? The guy was already trying so hard.

The water tribe warrior was also receptive of how Zuko clenched his fists. His blank stare now obscured by the tense muscle in his jaw. Sokka quickly connected it to his sister's comment, and threw Katara a warning glance. You shouldn't mess with someone's parents. No matter where they come from, or who they are. Too many situations arose where it concerned their _own_ parents. And the consequences were painful and regretful. Sokka should know. And so should Katara.

She didn't pay any attention to Sokka's glance, so he interceded again.

"Katara," he scolded. Her eyes flickered to him. He tried to silently urge her to calm down with a meaningful look. Only spirits knew why she was being difficult.

He was satisfied when he saw her shoulders relax, and her gaze return to the fire. Although the indistinct annoyance remained latched to her stare.

"We need a plan," Toph decided suddenly.

"Where I can learn firebending." Aang clarified.

"And make sure you keep meeting with Katara and I." The earthbender refined.

"And rest." Katara muttered, still tense.

"Rest is good." Aang said as he stretched his arms over his head, and opened his mouth wide to release a pretty impressive yawn.

"While keeping balance." Sokka added.

"How are we going to do that?" Katara inquired doubtfully. She flicked a small stone into the fire.

"When you figure something out let me know." The avatar sighed as he laid back on his elbows.

"Thanks for the input," Sokka said sarcastically. "You're _so_ helpful."

"No problem, Sokka!" He piped happily, a genuine smile plastered on his face. "I try my best." _Wait,_ he thought, _is he being sarcastic? With ME?_ _When did this happen?_

As much as Sokka and the Avatar knew each other, and with all the adventures they shared, Aang proved more and more oblivious to the warrior's predicted sarcasm. And it wasn't very entertaining right now. Actually, it was never entertaining for Sokka.

"I'll just take a little nap, if you don't mind."

"Actually I do. Last time I checked; that thing that your lying on is my mat." Sokka accused "So if you wouldn't mind getting off," He pointed at the material under Aang, that was rightfully his.

"Oh, I didn't notice."

"Well, now you do. So..." He made a scooting gesture with his hands.

"_Please_ Sokka!" Aang begged. "Yours is always so comfy."

"It should be, considering how much time he spends sleeping on it." Toph scoffed.

Sleep was a serious topic. At least it was for the blue eyed teen. He couldn't rest properly without his mat. Everyone should know by now that the water tribe warrior needed a good night's sleep. If he didn't, well, he's not exactly Mr. Sunshine. And he couldn't be held responsible for his actions in the morning, where the previous night's sleep wasn't achieved to it's full potential. Too many embarrassing circumstances validated that fact. One morning he actually managed to fall off a cliff. Yep. Fall. Off. A. Cliff. He just slept walked right over the edge. No scream. No protest. Luckily Aang was awake, and saved him before anything disastrous could happen. But he would of happily taken death since he had to suffer a whole day with Katara and Toph's lame zombie jokes. Imagine that; falling off a cliff. Knowing Sokka; it could be worse. Famous last words; it could _always_ be worse.

And another time he _accidentally_ whacked Toph with his boomerang. It wasn't exactly his fault, considering he was half conscious at the time. Seriously. But, nonetheless, he secretly enjoyed that little payback. That was until Toph _accidentally_ made him smack face first into a tree the next morning, by _accidentally_ earthbending the ground beneath him.

Another thing he learned was there were two types of accidents. There were accidents. And then there were _accidents_.

Therefore, sleep was something Sokka held within the same category as breathing, eating, drinking, and, well, let's just say; he needed his sleep. It was something like a priority.

So that's why he lifted his warrior's club from his belt and pointed it threateningly at his friend. Although, whatever came between Sokka and his sleep, even a person like Aang, could never be named as such. A 'friend' would never deprive another 'friend' of his priorities.

"Aang," he started "I'm going to give you to the count of-"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh for the love of-"

"No, no, no! I want to see where this goes!" Toph protested excitedly.

"As I was saying-" Sokka tried again.

"Just for a little bit?" Aang persisted.

"One," he began, and took a step towards the begging monk.

"Guys," Katara warned. She stared pleadingly at the temple ceiling. An all too familiar sign of exasperation and the subtle annoyance that Sokka was used to. After all, he was pretty much the cause for all of it.

"Okay, fine, I'll move when you have a plan." Aang crossed his arms behind his head, and reclined on the sleeping blanket. A satisfied grin played on his lips. Aang never really was good at offering a bargain.

"Whatever, I'll just steal Katara's." Sokka replied. Outwardly he might have been indifferent. But, inwardly, he was fuming. You don't get between Sokka, and his potentially _good_ night's rest.

"No you're not!" Katara piped. Swiftly snatching her mat from the ground, and holding it behind her back.

"Fine, then tell Aang to give me back my sleeping mat."

"Tell Sokka to make a plan." Aang countered.

"_Gu-uys!_"

"Ugh!" Toph shifted suddenly. Both boys yelped as a rock pillar hit them square him the bottom. "Stop bickering! You're giving me a head ache!" Sokka rubbed his now sore behind, muttering a quick "sorry", before dropping on the ground. He heard a muffled groan, and turned to see Aang lying with his butt in the air and his face shoved in the mat. "Nevermind. Let's talk about this tomorrow." Toph said, sounding defeated.

Sokka wanted to forget about the current dilemma, and rest comfortably with his friends. _Also_ _with his mat._ He wanted to enjoy what less stressful times he had left. No doubt, _with his mat_. Before they embarked on their final journey, he wanted some comfort. Which he could easily get _with his mat_. Hopefully it was their final journey. But in the way that secured their safety, and the welfare of the world.

He _wanted_ to relax.

Unfortunately, Sokka's ever deductive mind wouldn't allow it.

They needed a plan. One that Aang could be comfortable with. And since Aang's personality was playful and amusing, it can't always be serious. One that was pleasing, but at the same time effective. Sort of like learning a lesson that was voluntary, but it was actually a great knowledgeable experience.

There were three things that were mandatory. One being Aang learning to fire bend. Obviously. And the others being that he still had to maintain his training with Toph and Katara, as well as get a generous amount of rest. Another factor that Sokka included secretly was that this plan had to occupy everyone else. He was sure the others didn't want to be bored, even if this was a serious matter. It wouldn't hurt to divert some attention away from the looming evil they were certain to face. Sokka wanted his friends to cheer up a bit.

Maybe they could make some sort of schedule to accommodate all of Aang's needs? A daily schedule. With time restraints and intervals. At different times a day they would allow for rest, and training. Like a routine?

_No, _Sokka thought. _That would be too plain and boring._

But he liked the idea of intervals. Of different periods of time meant for different things. But how would he make it fun?

He had to incorporate everyone. Including the three idiots; Teo, Haru, and The Duke. Aang also had to learn all the elements. Toph for Earth. Katara for Water. Zuko for Fire. Aang for Air. But that was a no-brainer. What could Sokka do? He was a warrior. Could he teach Aang how to fight with hana-to-hand combat? That would be useful for the Avatar. Certainly bending is key for fighting against their enemies. But sword play and hand combat could be just as functional. If anything, it could give someone the advantage.

They were going to participate in a huge battle. Why not learn how to fight properly? Why not _practice_ fighting? A duel amongst friends could be beneficial _and_ fun.

They could have small duels with each other at different times of the day. One against one. Everyone included. Aang could use the skills he's learned against the masters who taught him. And those masters could critique and give advice while the battle progresses. Or after the fact. And in-between fights, Aang could rest.

_This could be something..._

They didn't call him the idea guy for nothing. Or did he just call himself that - oh, nevermind.

"Hey guys," Sokka began thoughtfully. Heads lifted to his marveling tone. "I think I have an idea..."

* * *

**A/N:** This idea has been haunting me for months. I'm planning to include some pairings later on, but it will take some time to add the right chemistry in there. So, patience. Sorry for it being so long, and anti-dialogue-ish. It won't always be like that, I promise. Oh, and the story is set just after _The Firebending Masters_ episode (season three). Don't be too harsh with me about this story. It's gonna take me some time to get this plot on the right path. ;)

(Sorry if there's some bad grammar in this chapter...-too lazy to check (again)-)


	2. We're In

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

**The Tournament**

Chapter 2: We're In

_By: Bexsta_

* * *

"-and since we have a small amount of time to play with before the comet arrives sometime that week, I was thinking we could use those days for doing that. Just think about it; everybody will have something to do, and Aang won't be tired. Well, if we don't over do it that is. We'll just plan it carefully. Everything will be fine." Sokka explained, reassuringly. "And fun." He added. "At least the way I picture it, it will be. We can even add some obstacles with the different duels, so everyone is used to different things. Actually, I just thought about that now. That might be useful. Hm," He cradled his chin with his hand, staring off thoughtfully.

Katara knew by the way her brother was gazing off, he was mentally adding more details to his scheme. Probably finding some way to make it seem even more fun, and impressive. Although that seemed close to impossible. She was so shocked, and amazed at her brother's assured plan, that she just stared in awe.

Sokka apparently snapped came back to present, returning form his reverie, and looked at them expectedly. The warrior took a deep breath.

"Well," he began dubiously "what do you think?"

Katara just stared at her brother, feeling the her mouth slip into a small, cautious frown.

_What did she think about it?_ She asked herself. _Fighting with each other? Duels?_ The waterbender silently listed her summarized version of Sokka's proposal in her head. Furrowing her brows in a state of deliberation, and recalling her brother's ideas.

_Fighting with each other? _She repeated._ Practising, duels, training, rest, fun - _Katara ticketed the words that stood out in her mind. _Time restraints, learning, advice_ - everything would be accounted for. Sokka's plan of grouping certain times of the day for different things made perfect sense. They could carefully advise everything into place. They could make room for Aang's rest, and train-

But they weren't actually training, were they? They were just dueling with each other. That could hardly be considered actual teaching, actual lessons, when it was just a game. They needed to be serious. Even if she did want to have fun, they had to remain serious. Right?

Hardly prepared to give Sokka an answer, she regarded her companions, who like her, were hushed into a speechlessness.

She looked to Aang to see what his take on the matter was. He was staring at her brother, both eyebrows raised considerably, with a slight discreet pout. The avatar seemed to be doing the same as Katara. His expression one of consideration, doubt, and an ounce of encouragement. The latter of which Katara surprisingly lacked.

As if sensing her examination, he turned his grey eyes on her, and shrugged his shoulders in response. He was just as shocked, and unsure as she was.

Katara shifted her gaze to Toph, who appeared deep in thought. Her lips formed at tight line, and eyes set in concentration. The earthbender seemed to be thinking of Sokka's question, and something else.

The waterbender then turned to Zuko, out of sheer curiosity than general consideration. The banished prince had his arms crossed, and was staring at Sokka sceptically. But something about the diplomatic glint in his eyes, and speculative frown, caused her to narrow her eyes in suspicion.

A movement in her peripheral vision made her turn back to Sokka. She saw her brother shifting his weight to each foot uncomfortably. He was looking at Teo, Haru, and The Duke who had their heads together and were whispering tactlessly.

"Well?" Sokka repeated less confidently.

Katara opened her mouth, preparing to say something encouraging, but when Sokka turned to look at her hopefully, she was still at a loss for words. How was she to answer when she didn't even know if she agreed or disagreed with her brother's idea?

A loud snicker saved Katara, and brought everyone's attention to Toph, who had a proud smirk plastered on her pleased face.

"Sokka, I gotta say," she began, grinning. "That's one of the best plans I've heard from you in a long time."

Sokka looked shocked to hear Toph saying this, but recovered quickly. Katara was just trying to figure out if Toph's agreement was an insult or not.

"Really?" He asked, unbelieving. He paused. "Wait. Your not being sarcastic are you?"

"No, not really. I actually like your idea. It makes sense too." She said lightly.

"You agree with his plan?" Aang asked, not ignorantly, but for confirmation.

"Yeah, of course." She stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't you guys?"

The earthbender was met with a insecure silence.

"What?" Toph started, truly shocked, her eyes widening. "Come one guys! You have to admit that Sokka's idea is perfect. Like he said; everything will be fine. Everything will be included. You can't go wrong with that! Aang will be training with us, _and_ he'll be resting, we'll have fun, everyone will have something to do. Come on! It's genius!"

"Why, thank you, Toph." Sokka smiled smugly. "I have to admit; I'd never think that I'd ever hear those words come from your mouth. But I guess everyone, no matter how stubborn, has the time to discover my secret inner genius."

Katara couldn't help herself. Once she saw Sokka puff out his chest, and place his hands on his hips, like some sort of almighty Lord, she just had to ask.

"Are you serious?" She snorted.

"Sorry Sokka. I think you've got me all wrong," Toph interrupted. She stared in Sokka's general direction with a look crossed between amusement and disgust. "I said your _plan_ was genius. Not you. Sorry if you got your hopes up."

Sokka's pride visibly lessened. His shoulders sagged, and mouth turned down into a frown. It didn't help that Aang, Teo, Haru, and The Duke, were unsuccessfully trying to muffle their laughter.

"But, really, Sokka's plan is perfect." Toph continued. "I think we should do it."

"Me too!" The Duke agreed enthusiastically.

"What are you getting excited about?" Teo asked. "If they do this, it's not like we'll be involved."

"We don't have to fight, Teo. But we can do other stuff as well." Haru said.

"Like what? Clean up afterwards?"

"That would be nice." Sokka commented.

"No thanks."

"You guys can organize stuff." Toph offered. "Decide where each duel takes. Create the setting. Make rules, so it's more interesting. Make it harder. I don't know. Be creative."

"Wait!" Katara objected. "We haven't even decided if we're going to do this or not, and your already assigning jobs?"

"We aren't doing it?" The Duke pouted. Katara didn't like his miserable expression, and being a soft hearted fool when it came to the vulnerable, she hesitated.

"I think this might be a good idea, Katara." Aang told her. She looked at him questioningly, and he shrugged again, but this time he gave her a quizzical grin.

Katara sighed, and decided that whatever made Aang happy was the correct route to follow. Even if she had her doubts about Sokka's plan, she wanted her friend to be able to feel content and safe. He's been too stressed over the last few months and he could use a break.

And it couldn't hurt to encourage Sokka a little bit. She hoped...

"Fine," she admitted with a sigh. "We'll do this whole crazy thing Sokka's thought of, but don't come running back to me when something goes wrong. Or explodes. Or breaks. Or-"

"We get it!" Sokka snapped.

"Give him a break Katara," Aang soothed. "Not all of Sokka's plans are completely horrible, or fail every time-"

"Not helping!" Sokka singsonged between gritted teeth.

"I'm just saying-"

"Okay," Toph interrupted excitedly "everyone's in?"

"Yep." Aang answered instantly.

"Zuko?"

The name reminded Katara of their new comrade, and she narrowed her eyes instinctively. She didn't even bother to look up to see the dark haired _prince_'s reaction. Just hearing him speak was torture enough.

"I'm in," came the deep voice, urging Katara to glare daggers at the temple ground.

"Sokka?"

"W-what? Of course I'm in. Are you serious?" Sokka sputtered. "It's my plan."

"Yeah, but you haven't really been known to follow through in some cases."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

The waterbender tried really hard not to sigh in exasperation, but her will didn't entirely cover it. When it came to the little feuds between Sokka and Toph, she had momentarily given up. Nothing will stop those two from baiting each other. It was as if the sarcasm, egotism, and false pride had been stripped from a few hundred people, and encoded into their DNA.

"Katara?" Toph ignored him.

"I guess," Katara sighed, thinking of how Sokka and Toph also had the tendency to make things get way out of control. _There's no telling how this will go,_ she thought regretfully.

"Oh, Katara," Toph chided. "Don't act like this is the end of the world. We're just going to have a little fun. No harm in that."

"Whenever you say that, it always ends up being the exact opposite." She groaned. And she always had to fix things afterwards. Always. It was hard being the responsible one.

"Well, then don't say I didn't warn you." The earthbender smirked.

"Ugh. _Great_."

"This _is_ great!" The Duke emphasized, jumping up and down. Katara saw the excited gleam in the boys eyes, and smiled inwardly, despite herself. _At least someone is looking at the bright side of things._

"I don't know why your so excited," Teo frowned, his arms crossed stubbornly. "It's like we're given desk work. Sitting around and watching it all happen from the sidelines."

"Suck it up, Teo. We don't have enough time to include everyone." Toph said. "If we included you we'd have to include Momo and Appa too. Then we'd never get finished."

The lemur in question lifted its head from its resting place on Appa's forehead, mumbling something like throaty lemur objections. The animal's ears were peaked in concentration, and he gave Toph a blank look, before going back to sleep again.

"At least give us something important to do." He pleaded. "And no, cleaning up afterwards is not considered important." He added, seeing how Sokka raised his hand. Katara's brother exhaled stiffly, actually appearing to be disappointed.

"I don't even know what you'd clean up." Katara said. "It's not like a forest floor is a meant be polished after we trample through it."

"Sokka just likes to mess with people." Toph stated in an off hand manner.

"How about we carve a huge board into a tree or something, with everyone's names on it, and make it like a tally chart. So, when ever someone wins we can keep track of it." The Duke suggested.

"Now that's exciting," Teo rolled his eyes.

"We could design some sort of obstacle course for one of the duels." Haru offered.

"That's good." Sokka nodded, with a grin.

"Fine." Teo allowed. "But can you guys give us some sort of authority?"

"What do you mean?" Sokka narrowed his eyes. _Honestly,_ Katara thought tiredly. _He can be so_ _suspicious about anything..._

"How about," Toph started before Teo could continue. "if it's a tie, or something like that, you guys can decide what the outcome is, and who wins?"

"Deal." The boy in the wheeled chair smiled, satisfied. Haru and The Duke exchanged a high five.

"You could also..." A deep, unsure voice trailed off.

Katara looked up unwillingly at Zuko. The prince was still standing in the same spot since he had returned with Aang. His posture casual, but not entirely relaxed.

"What?" Aang asked.

"Well," He shifted his weight on the other foot, looking uncomfortable with all the attention. "There is going to be more than one duel right? So, they could decide who goes against who, and for what day."

"Yeah...yeah! That would be awesome!" The Duke perked. He looked towards Sokka. "Can we do that? _Please_?"

"But I wanted to do that." Sokka muttered.

"That wouldn't really be fair considering you're a participant, Sokka. They aren't." Katara said. "Plus you can't do everything. Let them do it."

"Yeah, okay," Sokka obliged, grudgingly.

"So it's a plan." Toph concluded. Everyone mumbled an affirmative, and Toph started to grin. "This is going to be interesting."

Katara only nodded. As much as she thought the plan was well thought out, she didn't feel anything that made it special. All of them were making a big deal out of a few duels, and some rest. It's not much different from what they were doing before, but now it was _organized_. Sokka could make the simplest idea seem more complicated than it actually is. It was one of his annoying talents.

Although, she had to admit that the things he said about keeping everyone included made sense. It would probably benefit everyone if they were all busy, and weren't thinking about the future, or stressing about creating an attack. At least, it would help her. She needed a distraction from all the anxiety.

"This is great!" Teo acclaimed.

The Duke appeared to be doing some sort of triumphant dance.

"This was a good idea Sokka." Haru praised sincerely.

"Thanks Haru," Sokka smiled genuinely. He paused, and his lips slipped into a small considerate frown. "I want you guys to plan everything properly. I don't want anything going wrong-"

"Like that hasn't happened before," Toph muttered, trying to cover it up with a cough. Katara smiled. Sokka didn't seem to notice.

"-so I want you to take this seriously. This is my idea, and it better turn out the way I planned, or else." He pointed a finger threateningly.

"Well, if we're going to start tomorrow - we have so much to do before then!" Teo resolved urgently. "Come men!" He motioned to Haru and The Duke. He started to wheel his way away from the fire, going deeper into the temple. Probably to their rooms. "We have charts to list. Obstacles to design. Duels to pair-"

"We get it, Teo." Haru sighed. The Duke just skipped alongside the chaired boy, humming under his breath.

"He's just like his dad," Sokka commented, shaking his head. But he was smiling.

"I'll join them later." Haru decided, as waved at the two enthusiastic boys.

She glanced at the small fire in the centre of the group, and noticed it was dying down. Haru was prodding at the base of the flame with a small twig, causing tiny pieces of the kindling to tumble out. The glowing embers were almost hypnotic as she watched them slowly dull into a respective black. Haru kept poking at the campfire making embers sprinkle on the ground, and Katara found herself staring at them each time. It made her feel a bit drowsy.

When Haru bid them good night, Katara noticed the sky had darkened considerably, indicating that night was fully upon them. She glanced at her friends, and caught Zuko mumbling something to her brother. Sokka nodded hesitantly, and the firebender escaped into the temple, heading in the direction of the ancient dorms.

She wanted to ask Sokka what Zuko said to him, but didn't want to appear intrusive, or even remotely interested for that matter.

"Well," Aang spoke suddenly. He stretched his arms over his head, and yawned hugely. He lied down on his side, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to get some sleep. Today's been fun and all, but I'm tired."

"Same here," Sokka agreed. He grabbed a blanket near his bag, and laid it out hurriedly on the ground. He lied on his stomach, limbs splayed out at weird angles. "We're starting tomorrow. So that means we should all get some sleep. I want to let you guys know that I don't plan on taking it easy on any of you."

"Touché." Toph replied evenly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Katara snorted. She couldn't wait to show her big brother how much she's learned, and put him in his place. He really should be knocked down a few pegs. Sokka's over confidence irritated her to the extremes.

_This might prove to be fun after all, _she thought.

"And I think you should be getting some sleep too Sokka," Toph said lightly. "Because I plan on kicking your over eager butt all the way to Ba Sing Se."

"Not if I face him first." Katara objected, happily.

"We'll see about that Katara." Toph replied.

"Yes, we will." Katara shifted her mat so it was more under her body. "And may the first person to kick Sokka's butt, truly kick his butt, so the person not fighting can at least get some satisfaction from watching the duel."

"Agreed." Toph smiled. The earthbender eased down to the ground, and crossed her arms behind her head.

"Okay!" Sokka snapped, his voice partially smothered by the blanket. "Now that we've established that - can you two follow Aang's example, and shut up?!"

The two girls tried to muffled their laughter with their hands, and Sokka faced his back to them with a huff.

Katara and Toph shared a discreet high five, before the waterbender turned on her side so she faced a sleeping Aang. He was curled up on his side, nearly resembling a fetal position, with his knees pulled up and gathered in his thin arms. The avatar was breathing evenly, a calm visage gracing his expression, which brought a gentle smile to Katara's face.

If Aang wanted to go through with Sokka's plan, she'd play along. If only so he could get more sleep without all the restlessness, she'd do anything. Aang deserved it. In fact, he deserved much, much, more than that, but considering their circumstances, a peaceful sleep is a fortunate blessing.

If only things would go as planned. If that happened, everything would have been fixed so long ago. The world would be at peace. She'd probably be back at the South Pole, helping Gran Gran with chores, or cooking her family dinner. She would be in her blue parka, hands stuffed into gloves, marching through the snow, and complaining about the cold. The cold. She never thought she'd miss being frozen cold, trapped in her igloo, when the harsh winter storms would roll by. When you had to fend for yourself, and your family, acting on instincts and determination to survive the weather.

It probably didn't sound comforting to anyone who didn't grow up in the Water Tribe. But to Katara it was home. It was a safe reprieve. It was the birthplace of childhood memories. It was the setting of her background.

It was the first place she decided to go back to once everything was over.

Of course, almost nothing went as planned. Every passage was corrupted with the unexpected. Every journey faced with obstacles. Nothing was easy. And that was why she was there now. Only a day away from the Fire Nation's biggest, most powerful city, surrounded by her friends, living in an abandoned Temple, trying to get some sleep.

She sighed, and rolled over to her other side. She was met with the sight of a half-awake earthbender, unseeingly staring drowsily at the ceiling.

"Toph?"

"What?" She whispered grumpily.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Katara asked quietly.

"Of course," she answered harshly. "Why are you so uptight about it?"

The waterbender paused. Why was she doubting this plan? Sure, she always doubted Sokka's plans, but this was different. She felt weird for agreeing to participate in something that seemed so, well, fun.

Those were desperate times, that didn't exactly call for desperate measures, but should be taken severely. They had so little time to get something done. Katara felt that things need to be taken care of sooner than later, and that meant doing something productive. Like training. Like planning another invasion.

"I don't know," she admitted, and exhaled softly. "I just think we should be taking things more seriously. We should be thinking about more ideas on how we're going to defeat the Fire Nation. How is that going to work when we spend the rest of our time doing this - this...tournament?"

Toph sighed, and shifted a little on the ground, trying to get more comfortable. "First of all, Katara, the tournament will only last a few days. Which leaves us plenty of time to do that stuff afterwards."

Katara started to object, wanting to say that they didn't have all the time she thought they had, but Toph cut her off.

"I know it's just over a week away." Toph whispered hurriedly. Meaning the the comet's arrival. "And that's more than enough time, despite what you may think."

"But-"

"We know we don't have a lot of time to spend here, Katara." Toph cut off. The earthbender's determined gaze wandered to Katara's chin. "We know. And it's really annoying how you keep reminding us. We don't need a nag. How many times do we have to tell you? We know we don't have a lot of time. We know the comet is coming. _We know_, Katara."

"I-" Katara stuttered, mildly shocked. Was she really that irritating? "I - I just want you guys to know how - how critical our situation is. We can't afford mistakes now."

"Could we ever?" Toph muttered softly to herself. The blind girl sighed, and returned to staring unknowingly at the temple's high ceiling. "For the last, and final time; we know that, Katara." She stressed. "And this idea isn't a mistake, if that's what you think it is. You're just looking at the negative side of it, because you don't think that anything remotely fun could ever be serious enough to be useful."

"No, I dont." Katara mumbled childishly. She could have fun! She _liked_ having fun! She just didn't think that a _game_ would solve their problems.

"I'm right, and you know it." She stated confidently. "And don't worry, I think you're fun. That is, when you finally decide to let loose for a while."

"Thanks, Toph," the water tribe girl muttered sarcastically. She heard Toph's quiet whispers of laughter, and rolled onto her back.

"No problem," the earthbender replied sincerely. "It was meant as a compliment."

"Sure." Katara's eyes traced the intricate swirls and circles of the temple carvings. The fire was now a small flicker of a flame that gently swayed soft light along the stone walls. There was a delicate breeze that carried the scent of burnt wood and wild grass. It was all very soothing.

"Trust me, Katara," Toph whispered. "What we're doing is fine. We're having fun while practising our bending. It works out fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked. Katara was aware that she was fishing for reassurance. She just needed to be told it would work out. She needed comfort.

"Absolutely," Toph declared quietly. "We need a bit of fun around here. I sure do. If we rush into things, it will most likely be a huge failure. We need to take our time, with the time we have. What better time to play some games, then now? Well, they're not really games, but you know what I mean."

Katara sighed, somewhat satisfied. It was true. If they sped through everything trying to get things organized, it would end up a big messy disaster. The time they were given should be used to its full potential.

"Have a little faith, Katara." Toph whispered, somehow amused. "Don't worry about it now. We're gonna have some fun with those wimps over there, and we're gonna enjoy it. It'll be awesome, trust me."

"Why do I have the feeling that you have some sort of hidden plot going on, and you're not telling me?" She asked curiously. The way Toph was talking reminded Katara of the earthbender's self-assured smirk when she agreed with the Sokka's idea. Like she was about to pull a prank, or secretly planning to steal some of Sokka's seal jerky.

"Oh, no reason," Toph replied, too casually. "I just have some overdue revenge that I haven't entirely followed through with yet. I plan on acting on it with this little tournament."

"What did Sokka do now?" Katara sighed.

"Not Sokka." Toph laughed mutely. She moved onto her side, her back facing Katara. "I'm talking about Zuko."

Before Katara could recover form the shock, and ask Toph what she meant, the earthbender extracted two thick slabs of stone from the ground, and closed off both exits.

_Zuko?_ What on earth was Toph talking about? She was positive she heard a snort come from inside the rock tent, but she couldn't be sure.

The waterbender sat up and smoothed out the wrinkles on her mat. She then lied back down, curling up on her side away from Toph, and the newly formed rock barrier. She listened to Aang's even breathing, and the light nasal snoring of her brother. The thumbnail crescent of the half moon was surprisingly bright. It was casting a dull incandescence that bordered the thin shadows along the temple halls. It would have seemed eerie, but the spiritual glow of the moon was pleasantly familiar, and it obscured all senses of unease.

At least, _most_ of the unease was obscured.

Katara rolled onto her stomach with a soft grunt. What did Toph mean? Why was she talking about Zuko? Revenge? Did he accidentally burn her or something - oh.

Zuko did burn Toph. When she snuck off to meet with him, for only the spirits knew what, and he had _accidentally_ burned her. And she couldn't entirely blame Zuko, although she wanted to, for Toph's burn. The earthbender shouldn't of snuck up on Zuko, and caught him unawares. However, he should been more observant. He should have waited to see who it was. He could have been listening more attentively. He could of - Katara's hands curled into fists, and she shook her head in frustration. No use obsessing over the past. Katara had healed Toph's feet, and she was good as new.

She flipped onto her back, and exhaled stiffly. She guessed Toph wanted a little ounce of payback. And who wouldn't? Toph would have the chance to duel Zuko, and the blind girl would probably enjoy every single second of it. Katara only wished she had the opportunity to fight that little - _wait a minute,_ she halted. _I will eventually have to face Zuko._ Sokka said they'd face everyone at least once.

Startled by the facts that she had just discovered, Katara went rigid with shock. How could she not have known that she would be dueling Zuko? Last time she checked everyone included everyone. She must of subconsciously skipped Zuko, or just ignored him altogether.

_She was going to fight Zuko._

She glared at the darkened ceiling, feeling betrayed somehow. Had Sokka planned this? Had Toph secretly collaborated with her brother? Did they want her mad?

She suddenly heard footsteps, and turned her head to see a tall dark figure approaching them quietly.

_Zuko._

She didn't know how she knew, but she did.

She turned as quietly as she could to her side, and closed her eyes, faking sleep. She breathed in and out evenly, trying to look like she was in a deep slumber.

She felt the gentle draft of him passing her, and heard his steps stop. Soft rustling met her ears and she opened her eyes half way in suspicion. _Was he going through their bags?_ She wondered, fuming.

But she saw that he was going through his own bag, which was considerably smaller than the rest of theirs. He crouched on the ground, half of his arm unseen, as it searched through the burgundy fabric sack for something. She heard a sharp jingle, which she assumed was some sort of glass, or jewellery.

_Figures,_ she thought, somewhat annoyed. _The almighty prince has to bring some of his wealth along with him cause' he can't stand living as a peasant._

He stopped searching, and pulled out a thick rolled up blanket. He tightened the drawstring and placed the bag gently beside the others.

Katara snapped her eyes closed, and waited for him to pass again.

Zuko didn't sleep with the others. He kept his distance, slept in his respective room, and was always the first to rise. It was probably a Fire Nation trait, since the sun was the first to rise as well. Like the moon was an idolatry for the Water Tribes, and at night the waterbenders were the strongest.

The thought brought up unwanted memories of a certain situation at the North Pole, which she internally recoiled from.

She didn't question his reasons for not sleeping near them, because first of all; she tried to avoid all contact with him. And second of all; she didn't mind. In fact, it made her happy, in a weird way.

When she didn't hear Zuko's footsteps, she peeked out one eye to find him pausing near their pathetic fire, which could be considered a tiny flickering flame. He was staring at the struggling element, with a expression in his eyes that Katara couldn't comprehend.

He raised his hand slightly. The waterbender began to worry. Was he going to firebend? Was he planning on doing something?

A brightened bloom of light out of her peripheral vision brought Katara's attention to their weak campfire. But, it wasn't a weak fire. It was suddenly a mild bonfire that crackled with renewed warmth, and flickered with a feathery flare.

Seeming satisfied, the banished prince started off again. Katara hurriedly returned to her mock slumber, resting her head on her crooked arm. She felt him pass her again, but this time the small shuffle brought with it the smell of smoke, and a subtle spice. It reminisced the smell of fire.

Fire.

Zuko was a firebender. Katara was a waterbender. They were opposites on a elemental plane that had been an unspoken component of their world for generations. They were bound to feel some sort of competitive aggressiveness towards each other.

Katara listened to Zuko's fading footsteps, and when she was sure he was gone, she sighed dejectedly. The waterbender usually didn't have a hard time going to sleep, but tonight she did. Maybe it was because she felt nervous about tomorrow. Maybe the conversation with Toph felt anticlimactic. Or maybe her errant thoughts left Katara unsettled.

She shifted on her mat till she felt she was comfortable enough to rest.

_She was going to fight Zuko._

The waterbender found herself grinning wickedly, and closed her eyes.

Suddenly the idea wasn't as disturbing to her as it was before, and with that she drifted into a natural periodic loss of consciousness. _Sleep._

* * *

He kicked at the blanket, making the top edge sidle down to his bare chest. He tucked his hands under his head, and exhaled gustily.

The room's flat ceiling was blotched with time, and there were vine-like cracks that stemmed from one corner of the surface. There was nothing utterly special about this room. It was grey, and old. It was simple. Perfect simplicity for a monk.

That's what the Air Nomads stood for. The fair, simple life. Or so he read.

Zuko wasn't used to such a foreign closeness. Oh, sure, he's traveled the world. Spent some time in a different village or two. But it was never intentional. It was always a priority. Get some sleep, or be exhausted. Eat some food, or starve.

_So much has happened. So much has changed._ If he blinked, he would have missed it all.

So, it was there, where he found himself getting a short lived reprieve from the people he once labelled as enemies. But things were much more complicated than that. It just so happened that tomorrow he would be dueling with each one of them, except three, for practice, and for _fun._

Oh, and he was teaching the Avatar, of all people, firebending.

The situation was too ironic, that it tasted bitter.

But it was the right path.

He swiveled his head to stare at a lit candle on the small wooden table. The minuscule flame twisted, and swayed. His own element; taunting him.

If Zuko was a different person, and he was out on the cliff looking down at his life, he would have laughed. But, nevertheless, Zuko was Zuko, and the fact of the matter is that, that was the way things were, and they were too real to blow over.

He clasped the air, effectively dousing the candle with simple firebending, and enveloped himself in darkness. Enjoying his rare moment of solitude, Zuko settled deeper into the worn bed, and fell asleep.

He was secretly dreading what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

**A/N: **Had to add a little bit of Zuko in there, because he's pretty cool too. I have a feeling that my main perpectives for this story will be Katara, Toph, and Zuko. This chapter was fairly easy to write, but it doesn't sit well with me. I dunno. Hopefully you liked it! :) Sorry for any OOC. I know the name of this chapter is pretty lame, but I couldn't really think of anything good. The fighting, and drama is fast approaching...-grins-

Once again; sorry for any grammatical errors. I don't plan on being an editor when I grow up.


	3. The Rules

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

**The Tournament**

Chapter 3 : The Rules

_By: Bexsta_

* * *

"Was that really necessary Toph?" Haru asked, grimacing at the blue bundle of disoriented blankets and sheets.

The earthbender shrugged innocently, and leaned back against the raised portion of the no longer functioning fountain. She held a nonchalant demeanor, but Aang noticed her unseeing eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"You guys said you wanted us up," Toph replied guiltlessly "And he wasn't getting up."

"Yeah," Aang interceded. He bounced over to the mound of fabric, light on his feet and staff in hand, peering curiously at it for any sign of his friend. "But we wanted him awake, not dead."

"Don't be so dramatic." Toph chided, crossing her arms over her chest. "Teo wanted everyone up and Sokka wasn't listening, so I just _nudged_ him awake."

Aang laughed. Since when did Toph think nudging meant plunging a rock pillar into a sleeping Sokka causing him to catapult into the air? His earthbending teacher had a habit of stretching the truth. Or was she just prone to extensive sarcasm? Either way, Toph still managed to be unintentionally funny.

"Is he okay?" The Duke stepped closer, peering curiously at mound.

"Oh, he's used to this." Toph reassured. She shrugged away from the fountain and made her way over to Aang. "It's kind of like a morning routine. Sokka doesn't like to wake up when he's told, so we've developed a different way of doing so."

She swiftly snatched Aang's staff from his hand, and poked to blue bundle, earning herself a muffled groan. She grinned proudly. "See? He's fine." She handed Aang back his staff, and turned to Haru and Teo. "Now why did you guys want us up? And it better be good. I was having a pretty good dream."

"Well," Teo glanced uncertainly at the shifting blue fabric, before turning back to the waiting earthbender. "We planned everything last night for Sokka's little...tournament. And now we have a tight schedule to follow. You guys need to get up now so we can tell you the game plan, and some rules we made up, and basically get started. So, if everyone can get together that'd be great."

A low groan brought everyone's attention to a reappearing Sokka from under the tangle of blankets. He stiffly stood up, fabric falling from his shoulders. "I was going to get up." Sokka mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah," Toph agreed sarcastically, rolling her pale emerald eyes. "And one day I'll wear a dress."

Sokka ignored Toph's jest. He stretched his back, raising his arms over his head, which gave way to an audible crack. The water tribe warrior winced, and brought his hand around to rub his back. "That's going to hurt later on today." He murmured, and looked up at the small gathering. "Now, why'd you guys want us so early?" He demanded, obviously frustrated and grouchy he didn't have the chance to sleep in.

"They want to get things started." Aang answered, looking towards the three boys. Haru was carrying a fairly large slab of flat rock. Flagstone, Aang guessed from the looks of the sharp chipped layers. The mineral was common for the cliff-like landscape, and was used in Air Nomad gardens as sort of scattered foot steps. The Duke had several pieces of parchment clutched to his chest. They all had writing on them, but Aang wasn't close enough to make out the scrawl.

"This early?" Sokka protested, one finger twisting in his ear. "Can't it wait? I didn't get a very good sleep last night."

"Could've fooled me," Toph scoffed. "You were snoring like a maniac last night. _I_ barely got any sleep."

"You could have moved somewhere else to sleep if you didn't want to hear my snoring." Sokka sniffed.

"That's the problem!" Toph stressed, waving her arms in the air. "The Fire Nation probably heard you! Way to go alert the enemy of our location Sokka!"

Aang laughed again, and caught Sokka narrowing his blue eyes; pouting. Usually this was the time Katara interrupted his friend's banter with a bit of motherly criticism, and a pat on the back for her brother. But he looked around and noticed Katara wasn't with them. Her sleeping bag was empty as well.

"Where's Katara?" The avatar asked. He liked knowing where everyone was, and being sure of his friends safety. Too many things have happened to them when they were separated, and it just made him anxious when they weren't within his grasp. Especially considering the circumstances they were in then.

"She went to that lake beside the forest to fill her water skin or something like that." Toph answered uninterested. "She said she'd be back soon. I think Momo went with her too."

"Well, you should probably go get her Aang, if they want to start their whole ceremonious speech thing." Sokka instructed, gesturing to Teo while he retied his warrior's tail. Or was it wolf tail? Warrior's wolf tail? Aang could never remember what Sokka preferred people called his ponytail.

Aang twirled his staff causing the blue flaps of wings to spring out with a swish, and a click when they locked into place. He was getting used to the new equipment that Teo and his father had given him, but he still felt a small pang of loss whenever he remembered his original glider. Nothing could replace the sense of comfort and antiquity that an Air made glider brought to an airbender.

He was - don't get him wrong - grateful that his friend had thought of him, and had enforced the effort to make a new one. However, it paled in comparison. His new glider was durable and manageable, but it lacked that certain effectiveness that only came from a true Air Nomad born staff.

"Don't worry," Toph said suddenly "I can hear her coming. She'll be here in a minute."

Aang quickly spinned his glider in the reverse direction, promptly making the wings disappear inside the contraption. He didn't doubt his earthbending teacher's senses. She was right ninety-nine percent of the time.

The other one percent being Princess Azula. She was unpredictable. And the enemy. The observation made Aang shiver with fearful anticipation. _She might even be here now...watching us..._

The avatar shook his head of his ridiculous thoughts. There was no way they'd find them so fast. And he was sure he would have felt _something_ that alerted him that someone was there with them. Call it avatar instincts.

"What about Zuko?" Aang observed. He also noticed his new firebending teacher wasn't with them.

"He's up and about." Toph answered without hesitation. "But he's heading in our direction, so he'll be here as well."

"I know you can feel vibrations in the earth and everything," Sokka began, flexing and unflexing his arm. Some sort of Sokka-morning-exercise, or attempt at loosening a bruised muscle from falling from ten feet in the air. Courtesy of Toph. "And it's really helpful when we can't see anything, or pirates are sneaking up on us. But you can never get surprised. That must be dull."

"Actually, I do get surprised from time to time." Toph contradicted, an amused smirk plastered on her face. "More than you think."

"I can't possibly imagine what would catch you off guard. You always know what's going to happen." Sokka admitted, seeming annoyed by Toph's always truthful predictions.

The earthbender's smile faltered for a second, and her head drooped a bit. "Not all the time..." Toph muttered so softly that Aang was sure he was the only one who heard. He looked at the blind girl, concerned and confused by her quiet confession. To him, Toph always seemed emotionally untouchable and strong willed. He was too slow to inquire before she rapidly recovered. A deceivingly sweet smile gracing her lips.

"You'd be surprised." She replied easily_. _"Everyday I get surprised when I'm around you people."

"What do you mean, Toph?" Aang asked.

"Well, one example would be Sokka." Toph held up one finger. "Another would be-"

"Wait!" Sokka hastily interrupted, stopping his stretching ministrations. "What do you mean 'one example would be Sokka'?"

"You surprise me everyday Sokka." She replied sweetly. A little _too_ sweetly. Aang grinned knowingly. "What else do you want to know?"

"_How_ do I surprise you?"He squinted his eyes in speculation_. "_Besides my shocking ingeniousness, of course." He added pretentiously.

Sokka's obvious conceit made Toph's sweet smile melt into an apprehensive smirk, showing that she wasn't put off at all. Aang wouldn't admit it out loud to anyone, especially Katara, but he secretly thrived off of Sokka and Toph's frequent battle of the jests. He even kept a mental tally chart of how many times each of them won. So far Toph was in the lead.

"Oh you know," The earthbender replied breezily. "All of your infamous character traits that always end up going past the boundaries. It's truly fascinating." Her voice took on the thoughtful drone of a professor. "There's this one trait you have that always manages to go up and beyond. Almost unbelievable at times. It surprises me that anyone's capable of it." Her smirk broadened.

The water tribe warrior looked so smug that anyone who didn't know him would have never seen the shock lining his blue eyes, or the small sceptical arch in his brow. But Aang did. And his grin grew because of it. And because he knew that Toph was most certainly up to something.

"And which trait is that?" Sokka encouraged, standing proud beside the bundle of blue mats and blankets that made up his sleeping paraphernalia.

"Stupidity." She answered bluntly. Aang, and everyone else, exploded with laughter.

"Why thank yo - hey!" He gasped. "That's not true!" He cried, indignant. They all just kept on snorting with laughter, while Toph looked incredibly satisfied, and with a false set of character; was studying her nails in an act of superiority.

When Sokka noticed no one was listening to his protests, he started shaking his head furiously, mumbling something unintelligible under his breath. But Aang caught the words "bad joke" and "just you wait".

Aang watched, still doubled over laughing, as his friend hastily gathered up the scattered blankets into his arms, and stomp over to an ever sleeping Appa. Sokka hauled the material into a larger brown sack that the water tribe siblings used to store their personal items. The warrior was still huffing and puffing under his breath, and Aang felt a small twinge of uncertainty.

_Did Toph take it too far this time?_ Aang doubted. He observed his friend unnecessarily pack up random belongings, but he couldn't detect anything outrageous that would make Aang worry. _He seems okay,_ he observed, peering at the blue clad teen as he snatched his discarded boomerang from the ground, and hooked it into his belt.

He didn't exactly know why he was so tense all of a sudden. He had always seen the after-effects of their little quarrels, and Sokka was always a little frustrated when he lost in the verbal battles, but it's never bugged Aang to see him like this.

_You're just a little bit stressed,_ Aang's realistic side assured. _You need to catch up on your meditating. You've been avoiding it._

Which was true. Aang was lacking in his tranquil moments over the past few days. It wasn't so much that he hadn't had time to meditate, but whenever he found the time he was too tired to follow through. Constant training could do that to any normal bender.

But Aang wasn't a _normal_ bender. He was the avatar.

His spiritual connection gave him an extra boost in bending, but it didn't entirely mask the exhaustion that came with extensive training. And if anything; after going through a short spiritual bond it left him slightly more tired.

He was still human, even under the avatar image. And he needed rest just like any other human being. Meditation gave way to rest, but being the avatar it also entered him into a lapsed state partially inside the spirit world. Thus creating a need for more concentrated effort to properly meditate.

It was all very frustrating, and equally tiresome. It sometimes made him...grouchy.

He felt someone nudge his side, and turned away from a spastic Sokka to find his earthbending teacher at his side, carrying a self-satisfied smirk.

"That's one for Toph," she muttered, pointing a thumb to her chest. "And zero for Sokka." She gestured vaguely to the grumbling teen.

"Maybe you shouldn't make fun of him so much." Aang replied seriously. He peeked quickly at Sokka and saw him rifling through a small brown bag. He looked back at Toph, the smirk still dominate.

"I'm just having my fun. And he knows I'm joking."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Toph whispered. Her stern glazed green eyes stared up at Aang's chin. "He used to it by now. And he's one of the few that has a decent sense of humour around here."

"Just take it easy with this whole tournament thing. Don't go overboard, if you know what I mean." Aang advised. He saw Toph's pale orbs narrow, and her smirk falter a bit, but she just waved her hand, dismissing the seriousness.

"Don't worry about it." She turned her head towards a crouched Sokka.

After a slight pause she turned back to Aang. A wicked grin curling her light lips.

"This tournament is going to be fun." And with that she turned on her heels and headed towards Teo, and the rest of the group. Absent Katara and Zuko.

After a few moments of overhearing some boisterous snips of conversation from the two earthbenders, and the former rebel, he hopped over to a crossed-legged Sokka. When his friend didn't acknowledge him after, he decided to intervene.

"You okay Sokka?" He asked carefully.

"Yeah..." He didn't look up.

"Toph was just joking." Aang offered as he shifted his staff to his other hand.

"I know." came the stiff reply.

"You can always get her back." Aang offered, but instantly regretted it. Great. Now he _wants_ his friends to break out fighting?

"I plan to." Sokka announced cryptically, completely unlike himself. He slowly raised his head, but instead of looking at Aang, his directed his gaze at a blind earthbender.

"This tournament is going to be _fun_." He spat the last word, crossing his arms over his chest.

If Aang didn't know Sokka so well he would have been scared for his earthbending teacher's safety. If he didn't know his teacher so well he would have been trying to protect Sokka at that moment. But, alas, he did know his friends reasonably well and because of his friend's habits, and the difference of expressing the same sentence they shared unknowingly, he tried his hardest to smother his sudden urge to burst out laughing.

_This tournament _is_ going to be fun._

* * *

When Katara returned from her waterbending session at the lake, with Momo mumbling throaty purrs on her shoulder, and her hair clothes slightly dishevelled, she was a bit bewildered with the scene that greeted her.

The first thing she noticed - most likely because she almost tripped over him - was The Duke lying limp on the ground. Doodled parchments scattered near his body. His face planted securely into the temple floor. After Momo leaped from Katara's shoulder and prodded the little guy, no reaction came. Katara looked around hoping for an explanation. But instead of an answer she witnessed Sokka and Toph nose to nose, apparently in the midst of a confrontation. Toph was holding her brother's boomerang behind her back.

She glanced at a near by Haru and Teo, who both had their eyebrows raised hesitantly. Aang was sitting beside them, rubbing the side of his head, with his eyes tightly closed.

"Uh," Katara began wearily. Nobody looked at her. She scanned everyone, feeling her expression shift into obvious confusion. "What's going on?"

After a few minutes of everyone still ignoring her, she picked a rock from off the floor and flung it forcefully at her brother. Hitting him square on the head. It wasn't a big rock. About the size of her palm. But it did the trick.

Sokka's stunned fall to the ground, which resounded with a deep smack, and his incoherent swearing, got everyone's attention. Toph dropped the water tribe weapon. And Haru started to coax The Duke off the ground. Katara just stood there with an exasperated smile.

Soon afterwards, Aang came to Katara and explained - while still rubbing his head - that Sokka and Toph got into a fight when Sokka's boomerang _accidentally_ hit both Aang and The Duke in the head, and almost nailed Toph in the mouth. Long story short; Sokka and Toph started shoving each other, and the Duke had a minor concussion.

When Katara asked why Aang was rubbing his head, he sighed and smiled gently, saying "It's a combination of accidental rocks in the head while I was earthbending, Sokka and Toph bickering, lack of sleep, and a boomerang in the head. The regular stuff. Nothing to worry about."

Concerned for her friend's welfare, she offered to heal his afflicted migraine. But he just declined and walked away, Momo following. It left her unsettled to see him turn away. It wouldn't have taken much waterbending to heal a bruise.

Soon a hesitant Zuko met them near their burnt out campfire, and Teo announced that they should follow him so they could get started with the tournament.

All of them seemed to be eager to hear what the boys had to say. Katara walked beside a coy looking Toph, as the whole group trailed behind an impatient Teo, wheeling his way towards the nearby forest. Aang flew easily overhead. Happily soaring through the air on his glider. Haru was helping The Duke stumble along. The boy was still dazed from being pelted in the head. Katara decided she needed to remind Sokka to handle his weapons carefully. They didn't need anymore injuries...or concussions.

Appa had been oddly determined to stay back at camp, barely awake to register the avatar talking to him. Aang said he was just experiencing the after-effects of flying so far with so much weight, and just needed time to recuperate. The flying bison lemur companion stayed as well, happily obliging the chance to sleep in.

_Those animals..._She shook her head with mock exasperation.

The waterbender resisted the urge to glance back and glare uselessly at the firebender who was slowly following behind her, at the back of the group. She knew if she did, she'd probably do something childish. Like stick out her tongue. Or quite possibly go cross-eyed, just trying to figure out a good enough reason to throw a rock at him. But since she couldn't, she walked with her back tensed, and lips hooked down in the form of a immature pout.

Zuko kept his distance, like he always did. Never getting too close or too far. It was almost like he was somehow hesitant to intrude on something that didn't concern him. Not that Katara wasn't grateful for the way things were. She was somewhat glad in a rude, bitter way.

After they made their way across the length of the temple, they strolled ambitiously through the maturing forest, stopping once in awhile to pick up dropped parchments that had fallen from The Duke's hands. The poor boy was still slightly disoriented, experiencing the side-effects of being whacked in the head.

Sokka at least had the decency to secure his boomerang safely to his belt, and glance back guiltily at them. And whenever he did, Katara was fully aware of Toph's self-satisfied smirk.

When Teo suddenly stopped after a few more moments of walking, Katara looked around and saw they were in the exact same place as she was that morning. The lake.

They were lingering on the mossy threshold of the forest floor, and faced the thin sandy coast bordering the shimmering lake. The clear blue sky, dotted with puffs of clouds, was reflected on the water's surface. Tiny black bugs hovered above the water's edges, floating playfully. The sun wasn't quite at it's peak, since it was still morning, but it's seasonal warmth mingled with the gentle breeze, produced a comfortable temperature.

She felt a sudden whirl of wind beside her, and turned to see Aang land lightly on his feet, twirling his glider closed.

Haru, holding The Duke's sleeve, and hanging on to a mysterious slab of rock, went to Teo, who was positioned near a clump of boulders at the water's perimeter. The three boys bowed their heads together and started whispering hurriedly.

The rest of the group stayed where they were, figuring they were waiting for some sort of instruction. Sokka leaned against a tree trunk, crossing his arms, while Aang and Toph stood on either side of Katara. She felt, more then knew, that Zuko was somewhere behind them. Close enough to be able to hear, but not close enough to make Katara whirl around and demand her personal space.

"Would they hurry it up already." Toph complained, and sighed dramatically.

"Why? It's not like you have any place to be later." Aang muttered.

"I could be doing other things." She blew her bangs away from her face.

"Like what?" Aang's face scrunched up in doubt.

"Well, there's-" She started, but was interrupted by a purposeful cough.

Katara looked at a waiting Teo, who was trying his hardest to look calm and professional, his hands folded neatly in his lap. Haru and The Duke stood on either of his side.

A tan coloured bull frog leaped out from the water and landed neatly next to The Duke's foot. The former rebel glanced down at the reptile curiously, and it let out a throaty "ribbit" before jumping back in the lake. The Duke looked back at Teo, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Thank you."Teo replied with a nod once he noticed everyone's attention was on him. He had one eyebrow raised inquisitively at the spot where the bull frog used to be, then turned back to his audience. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Now, we woke you up so early because we wanted to explain the rules, the basics, and just the overall plan before everything gets started."

"Also because Sokka's snoring was starting to attract other animals." Haru added in an off hand manner.

Toph snorted, while Sokka acted that he didn't hear anything.

"Excluding that little fact," Teo grumbled. He looked annoyed that Haru interrupted him. "We basically have a lot of stuff to say before we start the tournament. So listen up." He held out his hand to The Duke who mechanically placed a sheet of written parchment on his palm.

"Great. Here comes the speech." Toph mumbled to Katara, then planted herself on the sandy ground.

Teo didn't seem to hear the earthbender, and after quickly scanning the sheet in his hand, he looked up at the crowd in front of him. "The first thing I'd like to clarify is that Sokka appointed us some vague jobs of controlling certain areas of the tournament. These jobs seemed kind of straight forward and any idiot could do them," Toph snorted. "so we decided to take on more important roles, and add some more things to Sokka's idea." He turned to a suspicious looking Sokka. "And before you decide to turn down all our ideas, just, please, hear us out." He took on a disappointed demeanor, a small frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And remember that we're not fighting. You guys are having all the fun. We have every right to change some stuff so that we're somewhat entertained. _And_ all the stuff we add is meant to make things even more fun for you guys, so don't complain." He jabbed a finger towards them.

Sokka's lips we're tightened into a frustrated line, but he remained silent. Teo, seeing that Sokka wasn't going to protest, let out a relieved sigh before proceeding with his speech.

"Throughout the tournament Haru, The Duke, and I are going to be aware of everything, and try to keep everything under control. Mostly because we don't want any accidents, or misinterpretations. But basically we want things to run smoothly, and make sure you guys don't cheat in any way."

"Why would we cheat?" Aang asked, surprised.

"I think the better question here would be; _how_ would we cheat?" Katara pointed out.

"Knowing Toph she'll find some sort of way to cheat." Sokka stated reflexively.

"I have no reason to cheat Ponytail Guy." Toph rebuked. "I have every intention of beating my opponent on the first try with just my skill. No cheating needed when I have _that_." A corner of her mouth hitched up into a lopsided grin.

"Okay, okay!" Teo infringed loudly. He looked frustrated. Hazel eyes sharpening in annoyance. "If we can get back to the topic at hand, and if you let me _finish_ talking, we'll answer all your questions at the end."

Sokka sniffed, while Toph scoffed. Either then that, everyone stayed quiet.

"We'll be watching over everything that happens, and make sure things go as planned, but we're not going to be downright controlling. Think of us as three judges, or even three officers. It will be our responsibility to make sure things run smoothly and don't get too carried away."

"So you're going to act like temporary moms?" The blind girl grimaced.

"No!" Haru looked absolutely horrified, emerald eyes wide.

"We prefer the term _judges_." Teo emphasized carefully.

"Whatever you say." She teased. "Still sounds like you're going to be acting like moms..."

"Anyway," he sighed. He ran a hand down his face. "as I was saying; think of us as judges. Our job will be to pair each duel, decide the victor, watch for cheaters, and all the stuff any normal judge would do. Not all the duels will be just about fighting each other. We will introduce different obstacles each time, and make it harder as the tournament progresses. Make it so that it's not the same thing each time and the interest level remains high."

"What kind of obstacles?" Katara asked. Her interest peaked. For some reason she imagined a towering wall of fire.

"That's a surprise." Haru smiled mysteriously at Katara, causing his thing moustache to twitch comically. His grass green eyes were twinkling mischievously. In the corner of her eye she saw Toph smirk knowingly.

"I love surprises!" Aang jumped excitedly. Katara smiled at the boy's joy. _Whatever floats his...glider?_

"Me too!" The Duke cheered, momentarily recovered from his daze.

"That's good." Teo grinned. He glanced down at the parchment in his hand.

"The battles." Haru nudged the wheeled boy.

"Right." He nodded his head, shaggy brown hair swaying with the movement, and returned his gaze to his friends. "Like I said before, one of the reasons we got you up so early was because we needed to tell you all this. And because you guys wanted to start today. And since we don't have a lot of time to do this, we have a pretty tight schedule." He skimmed the clear sky for a moment, in thoughtful calculation, then said "We did the math, kept in mind that Aang needed his rest, and everyone had to be involved. We decided that the tournament will run over the course of three days. Each day there will be three duels, and each will take place at different times of the day. Since there are only five of you participating, three of you will fight twice one day."

"It shouldn't be a problem." Haru said reassuringly. Most likely because he saw Katara's unsure expression. "The battles will already be separated time wise, but we'll make sure that if you're dueling twice in one day, the two battles you're in won't be back-to-back."

"Sounds good." Sokka commented slowly. His ocean eyes were attentive.

"During the battles we might set some specific rules, because of where it's located, or how you're suppose to win, and we expect you to follow them. Simple enough." Haru said with a shrug of his green clad shoulders.

"And if a battle somehow ends up a tie, or there's a break in the rules, or someone can't continue fighting, us three will decide who's the winner. Or if there will be another duel to replace it." Teo announced autocratically. "We will take in account all of the circumstances that led up to our having to make a decision, to make a proper and fair decision, so there is no need to worry that we won't be fair. We're judges, but we promise not to be prejudice or unjustly judgmental."

"That's good." Katara complimented.

Even though she was enjoying the sour looks Toph was giving to Teo and Haru, caused by their strict seriousness, she was liking how much consideration the boys had put into organizing the event. Sure, she wanted to have fun. But she also wanted to make sure things were done ethically at the very least. No use having a bunch of hog-chickens running around with their heads cut off.

"We thought so too." Teo agreed. "And we wanted to make sure you guys trusted us."

"Don't worry, we completely trust you." Aang chimed in. He gave them a convincing smile. "And it will make things more fun knowing that you three will be watching over Sok - I mean, all of us - to make sure no ones cheating. It will make the victory seem more satisfying."

Katara's brother glared at the avatar. The waterbender grinned discreetly, knowing her and her brother knew exactly what their little bald friend was implying.

"Exactly." Haru concurred. He looked over Teo's shoulder, peeking at the parchment in the wheeled boy's hand. After scanning the sheet he announced "Now, the rules."

"Right." Teo grinned pleasantly. "We made these up last night. They're quite reasonable, but if you have a problem with them - well, that's too bad." Katara grinned at his proud composure.

Teo held the parchment in front of him, and shook it smooth. He started to read directly from the sheet. "_The following sentences are the unofficially official rules of this tournament. Participants of the tournament are to abide by them at all times or there is the certain possibility of banishment from the tournament. The three judges - Haru, Teo, and The Duke - will be the decision makers of that factor if such a situation should arise. There are eight concrete rules that cannot be broken. Rule number one_;" He cleared his throat. "_Absolutely no cheating of any kind. This includes the use of plant extracts to heighten your warrior and or bending abilities. Or fighting 'dirty'._ Basically anything that gives you the upper hand, or you gain an unnatural quality illegally, is considered wrong and therefore cheating."

"Just don't cheat." Haru urged, looking pleadingly at the group. "It'll save us a lot of hassle."

"I'll do you guys a favour and keep a tab on Sokka." Toph offered. Aang and Katara snickered, while Sokka just sniffed arrogantly. "You never know what that guy could be cooking up."

"Rule number two;" Teo continued evenly, untouched by the earthbender's jest. "_Each participant is to fight on their own. Therefore, any side participation from another member is not allowed_."

"Which is kind of common sense." Haru said, with a pointed look. "Why would you want to help another person when you're trying win the tournament for yourself?"

"If you think about it," Aang said, his grey eyes staring off thoughtfully. "If that wasn't a rule it could be a really helpful tactic."

"How?" Katara asked.

"Well, you could help the weakest player along, and when it came time to fight in the final battle you'd have no trouble winning."

"You're tricky Aang." Toph smirked playfully. But she had an appreciative curve in her brow that was almost hidden under her dark bangs. "If that's the case I'll watch who I cheer for." Katara laughed at the earthbender's mischief.

"That is a good tactic..." Teo complimented, trailing off as he admired the avatar's rationality. "But it doesn't matter because that would be breaking a rule." He returned his gaze to his sheet with a huff. "Okay, rule number three; _if a participant is seen as loosing on purpose, or isn't reasonably trying, the game will forfeit, and the opposition will claim the win_."

"I like that rule." Toph whispered to Katara from the ground. The waterbender smiled back knowingly.

One of the things the two girls shared was competitiveness. They liked a bit of a challenge. It wouldn't be as fun if their opponent wasn't giving his or her all. Difficulty was gratifying. It made the eventual win taste more delectable, and agreeable.

"Rule number four; _you must follow the rules that are given at the specific duel. If not, the first person to break a unique rule will automatically lose_.

"Rule number five; _do not take the duels in strict seriousness. You are not there to actually kill someone, but to have fun, learn, and practice. It both duellists are not submitting after a certain length of time, and the blows are starting to look fatal, the judges will end the fight and decide the victor_." He glanced up at the group, but his hazel stare was locked pointedly on Toph. The earthbender's face was crestfallen, like she was actually disappointed. Her head held between her hands. "Just don't take this too seriously." The wheeled boy suggested.

"Darn it." Katara heard her blind friend mutter discreetly. She stifled her giggle. Toph can get very wound up, and sometimes frightfully violent, when she really gets into a battle. It was impressive, but at the same time scary. And in some cases actually threatening. Katara was starting to gain a new appreciation for rule number five.

"Rule number six; _if participants decide to forfeit they have to talk to the judges before the duel. You have to present a solid defence and or reason on why you're forfeiting otherwise we'll tell you to continue the fight_. Something like an injury will automatically allow you to forfeit."

"I hope so." Aang squeaked. The avatar's light slate eyes wide with evident horror, and hope for the statement.

"I don't planning on forfeiting, even if I have an injury." Katara stated proudly. She really did mean it.

_You never know when you'll get another chance like this one,_ commented Katara's slightly impulsive side. She had this sudden prompt to glance meaningfully at the firebender situated somewhere behind her, but she stayed in check.

"Hear, hear," Toph pumped her small fist in the air encouragingly. Katara somehow knew her friend was thinking somewhere along the same lines as she was.

"Wouldn't expect anything less from you, Katara." Aang approved, with a friendly smile. The waterbender smiled back in thanks. She turned back to Teo, but not before she glimpsed a small pink tinge colour the avatar's cheeks. She just ignored it.

_Must be the morning chill,_ she decided. However, deep down she knew it wasn't.

"Rule number seven;" Teo moved on ignoring the interruption. "_Bending is not exactly permitted. The judges will tell-_"

"What?!" Katara, Toph, and Aang screeched in unison. A few startled birds flew out of the trees behind them.

"Before you start yelling at me, just listen." Teo suggested calmly, his light eyes pleading.

Aang sniffed, while Toph and Katara exhaled stiffly. Sokka's grin looked a little too smug for Katara's taste. It took all her willpower not to smack him over the head, or waterbend some water into his face.

_He's so happy right know isn't he?_ She thought, narrowing her eyes. _I bet he's thinking how easy it will be for him to win. But just you wait, Sokka, we might surprise you._

Teo sighed. "Bending is not _exactly_ permitted. _Buuut_," He carried out the word. "_The judges will tell you when you can use your bending before a duel starts_." He glanced up at them. "Which will be mostly every time. So, you'll be bending for most of the battles. Don't worry. We won't deprive you guys since you created this thing to _practice your bending_. But Sokka brought up a good point last night. You also need to practice fighting when bending won't be an option. You never know what could happen." He was gesturing his hands, trying to persuade them. "And we have some fun ideas, absent bending, that might intrigue you."

"Whatever," Toph muttered. She had her arms crossed stubbornly, but she had an eager curiosity burning behind her unseeing eyes.

"I guess...that will work." Aang said slowly. He squinted his grey eyes in consideration.

"Good." Teo exhaled a big gust. Katara noted he looked incredibly relieved that they all settled. "Okay. The last rule." He folded the parchment in half, and stared at them happily. He recited the rule by memory. "Rule number eight; _there will be no side battles whatsoever_. That means if it isn't the assigned duel for that day, and time, none of you will start or participate in any fight that isn't part of the tournament. No matter how tempted you are to battle each other, you cannot start anything pre or post a duel. Just wait after the three days if you feel like a little revenge. Got it?"

They all nodded in acceptance. Some grudgingly. Which included a pouting blind girl. Katara could just imagine the self-control it would take for the earthbender to _not _engage in a battle when aggravated.

"So all off you accept the rules, and promise to abide by them?" Haru asked, with a friendly smile. He glanced around at the crowd.

They all muttered some form of confirmation, or nodded their heads hastily. Observing the agreements of their comrades, the boys broke out some joyful smiles. A little lazily on The Duke's part. Katara sensed the end of the conversation, but she noticed that they hadn't explained the purpose of the flat rock Haru was holding.

"What's that for?" She asked, pointing to the stone.

Haru smiled at her and said, "Each new day, or new time of the day, we will announce the next duel and carve the two participants names on this slab of rock." He lifted it in his arms but didn't turn it around. "The tournament's first duel, and today's first fight's participants are..." He slowly started to flip the flat mineral with his hands.

She saw Toph leap to her feet, and Sokka shrug away from the trunk of the tree. Aang was bouncing lightly on his feet in silent anticipation. Katara started grinning uncontrolably. She glanced behind her to see Zuko staring intently at the flat stone in Haru arms.

_Heh._ She internally scoffed. _Even he's excited._

The waterbender turned back around just as Haru was revealing the opposite face of the stone.

She was sure she heard someone gasp, and another mutter something about 'life being cruel', but she just kept staring at the two names written on the slab on earth.

Her idiotic grin morphed into something wicked, and there was a deep groan from somewhere near her. She felt oddly triumphant, like she beat someone to the dessert. But she was only thinking one thing at that moment.

_Maybe I will actually get a shot at whacking that boy over his overconfident head._

* * *

**A/N:** You can probably guess who's going to be in the first match. Hmm? It's a pretty uneventful chapter, but it's necessary. There are little tid bits of "odd stuff" that I slipped in there. Be perceptive over the next few chapters. It's going to get pretty crazy. And don't worry, Zuko has a _generous_ part in this story...Katara just chooses to ignore him...for now. ;)  
(No more cryptic comments. I promise.)

Sorry for the wait! I love the few people that have reviewed. It makes me happy to see your comments! -high fives-


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